Carrier support apparatus, alignment apparatus, film formation apparatus, mask mounting method, film formation method, and electronic device manufacturing method

Abstract

To improve the precision in control over relative positions of a substrate carrier and a mask of a carrier support device which mounts the substrate carrier holding a substrate on the mask.SOLUTION: Carrier support means which supports a substrate carrier holding a substrate has: a plurality of first support parts which are provided side by side in a first direction along a film deposition surface of the substrate, and support a peripheral edge part of a first side of the substrate carrier along the first direction; and a plurality of second support parts which are provided side by side in the first direction and supports a peripheral edge part of a second side of the substrate carrier along the first direction, and the carrier support means supports the substrate carrier which is in an isolated state while some support surfaces of the plurality of first support parts are different in height from the other support surfaces of the plurality of first support parts and some support surfaces of the plurality of second support parts are different in height from the other support surfaces of the plurality of second support parts.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a carrier support apparatus, an alignment apparatus, a film formation apparatus, a mask mounting method, a film formation method, and a method for manufacturing an electronic device. [Background technology]

[0002] In a film formation apparatus in which a film is formed by overlapping a substrate and a mask, a mask with a predetermined pattern of openings is aligned with the film formation surface of the substrate, and then a film formation process is performed by vapor deposition or sputtering. Thin plates such as glass and resin used as substrates for organic electroluminescence (EL) display devices tend to bend significantly when supported horizontally as their size increases, making them difficult to transport independently. Patent Document 1 describes a technology in which a substrate is transported while held by a highly rigid substrate carrier, thereby suppressing bending even for large substrates. Patent Document 1 also describes a technology in which a substrate held by a substrate carrier is transported into an alignment chamber, where the mask and substrate are aligned, and the mask and substrate are brought into close contact with each other, and then the substrate is transported into a separate film formation chamber for film formation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2018-0067031 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the prior art, no specific method for placing a substrate carrier holding a substrate on a mask was considered, which resulted in problems with the accuracy of position control, such as large variations in the relative positions of the substrate carrier and the mask after the substrate carrier was placed on the mask.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to improve the control accuracy of the relative position between a substrate carrier and a mask in a carrier support device that places a substrate carrier holding a substrate on a mask. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention comprises: a carrier support means for supporting a substrate carrier that holds a substrate; a mask support means for supporting the mask; a moving means for moving at least one of the carrier supporting means and the mask supporting means so as to switch between a separated state in which the substrate carrier is separated from the mask and a placed state in which the substrate carrier is placed on the mask, The carrier support means includes: a plurality of first support portions arranged side by side in a first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate, the first support portions supporting a peripheral edge portion of a first side of the substrate carrier along the first direction; a plurality of second support portions arranged side by side in the first direction and supporting a peripheral edge portion of a second side of the substrate carrier along the first direction; In the separated state, the first side and the second side of the substrate carrier each have a single lowest height. The carrier support means supports the substrate carrier in the separated state in a state in which the height of the support surfaces of some of the plurality of first support portions is different from the height of the support surfaces of other parts of the plurality of first support portions, and the height of the support surfaces of some of the plurality of second support portions is different from the height of the support surfaces of other parts of the plurality of second support portions. death, the substrate carrier has a plurality of seating members provided on an outer side of a holding surface that holds the substrate, the seating members protruding toward the mask beyond the substrate; one of the plurality of seating members is provided at a position of the first side of the substrate carrier that has the lowest height at least in the separated state; Another one of the plurality of seating members is provided at a location of the second side of the substrate carrier that has the lowest height at least in the separated state. The carrier support device is characterized by the above.

[0007] The present invention also provides a substrate holding device, comprising: a carrier support means for supporting a substrate carrier that holds a substrate; a mask support means for supporting the mask; a moving means for moving at least one of the carrier supporting means and the mask supporting means so as to switch between a separated state in which the substrate carrier is separated from the mask and a placed state in which the substrate carrier is placed on the mask, The mask support means comprises: a plurality of first support portions arranged side by side in a first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate, the first support portions supporting a peripheral edge portion of a first side of the mask along the first direction; a plurality of second support portions arranged side by side in the first direction and supporting a peripheral portion of a second side of the mask along the first direction, In the separated state, the highest portions of the first side and the second side of the mask are determined to be one. The height of a support surface of some of the plurality of first support portions is different from the height of a support surface of other of the plurality of first support portions, and ,before The mask support means supports the mask in the separated state in a state in which the height of the support surface of some of the plurality of second support portions is different from the height of the support surface of other of the plurality of second support portions. death, the substrate carrier has a plurality of seating members provided on an outer side of a holding surface that holds the substrate, the seating members protruding toward the mask beyond the substrate; one of the plurality of seating members is provided at a position of the first side of the substrate carrier that has the lowest height at least in the separated state; Another one of the plurality of seating members is provided at a location of the second side of the substrate carrier that has the lowest height at least in the separated state. The carrier support device is characterized by the above.

[0008] The present invention also provides a mask mounting method for mounting a mask on a substrate carrier that holds a substrate, the method comprising the steps of: In a separated state in which the substrate carrier is separated from the mask, so that the lowest height portions of a first side of the substrate carrier along a first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate and a second side of the substrate carrier along the first direction are determined to be one and the same, respectively. of the substrate carrier; The aforementioned The height of a portion of the first side is different from the height of the other portion, and The aforementioned The height of some parts of the second side is different from the other heights. Let me a carrier supporting step of supporting a peripheral portion of the first side of the substrate carrier and a peripheral portion of the second side of the substrate carrier at a plurality of points; a mask supporting step of supporting the mask in the separated state; By moving at least one of the substrate carrier supported in the carrier supporting step and the mask supported in the mask supporting step, a plurality of seating members provided on the outer side of the holding surface of the substrate carrier that holds the substrate, the seating members that are arranged at the lowest positions on the first side and the second side respectively, start to come into contact with the mask; a step of placing the substrate carrier on the mask; The mask mounting method is characterized by comprising the steps of:

[0009] The present invention also provides a mask mounting method for mounting a mask on a substrate carrier that holds a substrate, the method comprising the steps of: In a separated state in which the substrate carrier is separated from the mask, so that the highest portions of a first side of the mask along a first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate and a second side of the mask along the first direction are each determined to have one highest portion, A height of a part of a first side of the mask along a first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate is different from the other heights, and a height of a part of a second side of the mask along the first direction is different from the other heights. Let me a mask supporting step of supporting a peripheral portion of the first side of the mask and a peripheral portion of the second side of the mask at a plurality of points; a carrier supporting step of supporting the substrate carrier in the separated state; By moving at least one of the substrate carrier supported in the carrier supporting step and the mask supported in the mask supporting step, a plurality of seating members provided on the outer side of the holding surface of the substrate carrier that holds the substrate, the seating members arranged at positions facing the highest portions of the first side and the second side of the mask, start to come into contact with the mask; a step of placing the substrate carrier on the mask; The mask mounting method is characterized by comprising the steps of: [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, in a carrier support device that places a substrate carrier holding a substrate on a mask, it is possible to improve the accuracy of controlling the relative position between the substrate carrier and the mask. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an alignment apparatus according to an embodiment; [Figure 3]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a substrate and a substrate carrier according to an embodiment; [Figure 4] 1 is a partially enlarged view of a support structure for a substrate and a mask according to an embodiment; [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an alignment apparatus according to an embodiment; [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the substrate carrier and the mask of the embodiment are being transported by transport rollers. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an alignment apparatus according to an embodiment; [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process of placing a substrate carrier supported by a carrier support means on a mask according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating contact states between the seating block and the mask, and between the carrier receiving claws and the substrate carrier in the embodiment; [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are views showing a process of placing a substrate carrier supported by a carrier support means of another embodiment on a mask. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a rotation / translation unit according to an embodiment; [Figure 12] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating alignment marks of a substrate and a mask according to an embodiment; [Figure 13] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of an alignment and substrate placement process on a mask. [Figure 14] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an in-line manufacturing system for an organic EL display device according to an embodiment. [Figure 15] 1 is an explanatory diagram of an organic EL display device according to an embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] (Embodiment 1) The following describes an exemplary embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings, but unless otherwise specified, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the components are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0013] With reference to FIGS. 1 to 11 , a carrier support apparatus, a film formation apparatus, a mask mounting method, a film formation method, an alignment apparatus, and an electronic device manufacturing method according to embodiments of the present invention will be described. In the following description, an example in which the present invention is applied to a carrier support apparatus provided in an apparatus for manufacturing electronic devices will be described. In embodiment 1, a vacuum deposition method is used as a film formation method for manufacturing electronic devices. The present invention is also applicable to cases in which a sputtering method is used as a film formation method. Furthermore, the carrier support apparatus and the like of the present invention are applicable not only to apparatuses used for film formation processes but also to various apparatuses that place a mask on a substrate, and are particularly preferred for apparatuses that process large substrates. The substrate material can be any material, such as glass, semiconductors such as silicon, polymeric films, and metals. Alternatively, a substrate formed by laminating a film such as polyimide on a silicon wafer or glass substrate can also be used. When multiple layers are formed on a substrate, the term "substrate" will include layers already formed in the previous process. In addition, multiple identical or corresponding components may be distinguished by adding suffixes such as a, b, etc., but the suffixes will be omitted as appropriate if no misunderstanding occurs.

[0014] <Overall structure> FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of an in-line type film forming apparatus in embodiment 1. FIG. 1(a) is a diagram showing the configuration and arrangement of each member of the film forming apparatus. FIG. 1(b) is an enlarged view showing a portion including a substrate carrier and a mask in FIG. 1(a). The width direction of the substrate 5 is the X direction, the length direction of the substrate 5 is the Y direction, and the vertical direction is the Z direction. The substrate 5 and mask 6 are rectangular with short sides parallel to the X direction and long sides parallel to the Y direction, and the transport direction by transport rollers 15 is parallel to the Y direction. FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) show cross sections taken along an imaginary plane perpendicular to the Y direction. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the alignment of the film forming apparatus in embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ment device as seen obliquely from below.

[0015] The film forming apparatus 1 includes a chamber 4 and an alignment device 60 .

[0016] The alignment device 60 includes a carrier support means 8 that supports the substrate carrier 9 and a mask support means 16 that supports the mask 6. The alignment device 60 includes a rotation / translation means 11 that moves the carrier support means 8 horizontally, a carrier elevating means that moves the carrier support means 8 vertically, and a mask elevating means that moves the mask support means 16 vertically. The alignment device 60 is a moving means that raises and lowers the carrier support means 8 to switch between a separated state in which the substrate carrier 9 is separated from the mask 6 and a placed state in which the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6. Furthermore, when the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 are in the separated state, the alignment device 60 moves the carrier support means 8 in a direction along the film formation surface of the substrate 5, thereby moving the substrate carrier 9 relative to the mask 6. This allows alignment to be performed, adjusting the relative positions of the substrate 5 and the mask 6 held by the substrate carrier 9. The alignment device 60 is not limited to the above configuration, as long as it is configured to align the substrate 5 and the mask 6 by moving at least one of the carrier support means 8 and the mask support means 16 in the horizontal direction. For example, the alignment device 60 may perform alignment by moving the mask 6 in the horizontal direction, or may perform alignment by moving both the substrate 5 and the mask 6 in the horizontal direction. Furthermore, the alignment device 60 is not limited to the above configuration, as long as it is configured to switch the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 between a separated state and a placed state by moving at least one of the carrier support means 8 and the mask support means 16 in the vertical direction.

[0017] A substrate carrier 9 holding a substrate 5 and a mask 6 are each carried into the chamber 4 from the outside by transport rollers 15. First, the substrate carrier 9 is carried into the chamber 4 by the transport rollers 15, and then handed over from the transport rollers 15 to the carrier support means 8. The carrier support means 8, still supporting the substrate carrier 9, is retracted above the transport path by the carrier lift means. Next, the mask 6 is carried into the chamber 4 by the transport rollers 15, and then handed over from the transport rollers 15 to the mask support means 16. As a result, the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 are in a spaced-apart state, supported by the carrier support means 8 and the mask support means 16, respectively, in a positional relationship in which their positions differ in the Z direction but overlap in the X and Y directions.

[0018] The alignment device 60 aligns the substrate 5 and mask 6 when the substrate carrier 9 and mask 6 are in a separated state, and adjusts the relative positions of the substrate 5 and mask 6. After the alignment is complete, the carrier lifting means lowers the substrate carrier 9 toward the mask 6, placing the substrate carrier 9 on the mask 6 and switching to a placed state. The mask lifting means further lowers the substrate carrier 9 and mask 6 in the placed state toward the transport rollers 15, and the substrate carrier 9 and mask 6 are handed over to the transport rollers 15. The transport rollers 15 transport the integrated substrate carrier 9 and mask 6 to an apparatus where the next process will be performed.

[0019] The pressure inside the chamber 4 can be adjusted by a pressure control unit (not shown) equipped with a vacuum pump and a pressure gauge. An evaporation source 7 containing a film-forming material is provided inside the chamber 4, forming a reduced-pressure film-forming space 2. In the film-forming space 2, the film-forming material is sprayed from the evaporation source 7 toward the substrate 5, and film formation is performed by deposition up with the film-forming surface of the substrate 5 facing vertically downward. In a configuration where sagging or bending may occur in at least one of the substrate carrier and the mask, the positional relationship between the evaporation source 7 and the substrate 5 is not limited to the example described above, as long as the configuration includes a carrier support device that aligns the substrate carrier and the mask in a separated state and then switches them to a mounted state. For example, the chamber 4 may be an apparatus that performs film formation by deposition down with the film-forming surface of the substrate facing vertically upward, or an apparatus that performs film formation by side deposition with the substrate 5 standing vertically and the film-forming surface approximately parallel to the vertical. The chamber 4 has an upper partition wall 4a , side walls 4b, and a bottom wall 4c. The interior of the chamber 4 is maintained in a reduced pressure atmosphere, a vacuum atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas, or the like. In this specification, "vacuum" refers to a state in a space filled with a gas at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, and typically refers to a state in a space filled with a gas at a pressure lower than 1 atm (1013 hPa).

[0020] The mask 6 has a structure in which a mask foil 6b having a thickness of several micrometers to several tens of micrometers is welded and fixed to a frame-shaped mask frame 6a. The mask frame 6a supports the mask foil 6b while pulling it in its planar direction (X direction and Y direction) so that the mask foil 6b does not bend. The mask foil 6b has openings formed in it corresponding to the pattern to be deposited on the substrate 5. When a glass substrate or a substrate having a resin film such as polyimide formed on a glass substrate is used as the substrate 5, the mask frame 6a and the mask foil 6b can be primarily made of iron or an iron alloy, such as an iron alloy containing nickel. Examples of iron alloys containing nickel include Invar materials containing 34% to 38% by mass of nickel, Super Invar materials containing 30% to 34% by mass of nickel and further containing cobalt, and low-thermal expansion Fe—Ni-based plating alloys containing 38% to 54% by mass of nickel.

[0021] The evaporation source 7 has a material storage section such as a crucible that stores the film formation material, and a heating means such as a sheath heater that heats the film formation material. It also has a mechanism for moving the material storage section in a plane substantially parallel to the substrate carrier 9 and mask 6, and a mechanism for moving the entire evaporation source 7, and by moving the position of the injection port that injects the film formation material inside the chamber 4 relative to the substrate 5 during film formation, a film is formed uniformly on the substrate 5.

[0022] The control unit 50 controls the operation of the film forming apparatus 1. Specifically, the control unit 50 controls the horizontal movement of the carrier support means 8 in the X, Y, and θ directions by the rotation / translation means 11, the movement of the carrier support means 8 in the Z direction by the lift slider 10, and the deposition by the evaporation source 7. The control unit 50 is configured, for example, by a computer having a processor, memory, storage, I / O, and the like. The functions of the control unit 50 are realized by the processor executing a program stored in the memory or storage. The computer may be a general-purpose personal computer, an embedded computer, or a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller). Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the control unit 50 may be configured using dedicated components such as an ASIC or FPGA. When an electronic device manufacturing apparatus has multiple film forming apparatuses, a control unit 50 may be provided for each film forming apparatus, or one control unit 50 may control multiple film forming apparatuses.

[0023] <Board carrier> 3 is a perspective view of the substrate carrier 9 and substrate 5 supported by the carrier support means 8, viewed from the film formation surface side of the substrate 5. The substrate carrier 9 has a carrier face plate 30, a seating block 31, and a chuck member 32.

[0024] The carrier face plate 30 is a plate-shaped face plate member made of metal such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and constitutes a holding surface that holds the substrate 5. The carrier face plate 30 has a rigidity at least higher than that of the substrate 5, and holds the substrate 5 while suppressing bending of the substrate 5 along the holding surface.

[0025] The seating blocks 31 are seating members that protrude from the holding surface of the carrier face plate 30, and multiple seating blocks 31 are arranged on the outside of the holding surface. The seating blocks 31 are provided so as to protrude further toward the mask 6 than the substrate 5 when the substrate 5 is held by the substrate carrier 9. The substrate carrier 9 is seated on the outer periphery of the mask frame 6a via the seating blocks 31.

[0026] The chuck member 32 is a member that exerts a holding force to hold the substrate 5 along the holding surface formed by the carrier face plate 30. In the first embodiment, the chuck member 32 is a member that exerts a holding force to hold the substrate 5 along the holding surface formed by the carrier face plate 30. The chuck members 32 are disposed inside a plurality of holes formed in the face plate 30. Adhesive pads, which are adhesive members having adhesive force to adhere to the substrate 5, are disposed on the portions of the chuck members 32 facing the substrate 5, and the substrate 5 is held on the holding surface of the carrier face plate 30 by this adhesive force. The chuck members 32 are preferably disposed according to the shape of the mask 6. In particular, they are preferably disposed at positions corresponding to the rails of the mask 6. This prevents contact between the chuck members 32 and the substrate 5 from affecting the temperature distribution in the film formation area of ​​the substrate 5. In the first embodiment, an example is described in which an adhesive pad is used as the chuck member 32 to hold the substrate 5 by adhesive force. However, the chuck member 32 is not limited to this example as long as it is a member that exerts a holding force to hold the substrate 5. For example, the chuck member 32 may be an electrostatic chuck that holds the substrate 5 by electrostatic force.

[0027] The substrate carrier 9 has a magnetic attraction means (not shown) for magnetically attracting the mask 6 via the substrate 5 it holds. The magnetic attraction means may be a permanent magnet, an electromagnet, a magnetic plate equipped with a permanent electromagnet, or the like. The magnetic attraction means may be provided so as to be movable relative to the carrier base plate 30. More specifically, the magnetic attraction means may be provided so as to change the distance between it and the carrier base plate 30.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a further enlarged view of a part of FIG. 1(b). 。

[0029] The carrier support means 8 has carrier receiving claws 42 that are provided so as to protrude from the lower end of the support portion 80 toward the substrate carrier 9. The upper surfaces of the carrier receiving claws 42 form carrier receiving surfaces 41, and the carrier support means 8 supports the long sides of the substrate carrier 9 by placing the peripheral edge of the substrate carrier 9 on the carrier receiving surface 41. The mask support means 16 has upper ends of the support portions 160 that form mask receiving surfaces 33, and the mask support means 16 supports the long sides of the mask 6 by placing the peripheral edge of the mask frame 6a on the mask receiving surface 33.

[0030] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the alignment device 60. As shown in FIG.

[0031] <Carrier Support Means> The carrier support means 8 has a plurality of support parts 80 that support the long sides 91, 92 of the substrate carrier 9 or peripheral regions of the substrate carrier 9 along the long sides 91, 92 at a plurality of different positions in the Y direction. The plurality of support parts 80 are arranged side by side in the Y direction. A carrier receiving claw 42 is provided at the lower end of each of the plurality of support parts 80, and the long sides 91, 92 of the substrate carrier 9 are placed on the carrier receiving surface 41, which is the upper surface of the carrier receiving claw 42.

[0032] In the first embodiment, the Y direction, i.e., the transport direction by the transport rollers 15, is a first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate 5. The long side 91 is a first side of the substrate carrier 9 parallel to the first direction, and the multiple support parts 80 that support the long side 91 at multiple points are the first support parts. The long side 92 is a second side of the substrate carrier 9 parallel to the first direction, and the multiple support parts 80 that support the long side 92 at multiple points are the second support parts.

[0033] <Mask Support Means> The mask support means 16 has a plurality of support parts 160 that support the long sides 71, 72 of the mask 6 at a plurality of different positions in the Y direction. The plurality of support parts 160 are arranged side by side along the Y direction. A mask receiving surface 33 is provided at the upper end of each of the plurality of support parts 160, and the long sides 71, 72 of the mask 6 are placed on the mask receiving surface 33.

[0034] In the first embodiment, the carrier support means 8 supports the long sides of the substrate carrier 9, and the mask support means 16 supports the long sides of the mask 6, but the sides supported by the carrier support means 8 and the mask support means 16 may be the short sides of the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6, respectively. When the carrier 9 or the mask 6 is square, a pair of sides parallel to the first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate 5 are supported.

[0035] <Conveyor roller> The conveying roller 15 is arranged to convey the mask 6 along the long sides 71 and 72 of the mask 6 supported by the mask supporting means 16. Vertical A plurality of mask support means 16 are arranged side by side in the Y direction so as to be positioned below the mask support means 16 in the Y direction. When the mask support means 16 descends, the mask 6 supported by the mask support means 16 is transferred to the transport rollers 15.

[0036] <Carrier lifting means> A plurality of guides 18a to 18d that guide the lift slider 10 in the vertical direction are fixed to the side surfaces of the lift base 13. In the first embodiment, the number of guides 18 is four, but the number is not limited to this example. A ball screw 27 is provided in the center of the lift slider 10 to transmit the driving force of a motor 26 fixed to the lift base 13 to the lift slider 10.

[0037] The motor 26 has a built-in encoder (not shown), and the position or movement amount of the lift slider 10 in the Z direction is obtained based on the number of rotations of the encoder. The drive of the motor 26 is controlled by the control unit 50, thereby controlling the position of the lift slider 10 in the Z direction. Note that the above-described lifting mechanism for the lift slider 10 using the motor 26, ball screw 27, and rotary encoder is one example, and is not limited to this. For example, a mechanism combining a linear motor and a linear encoder, or any other mechanism for lifting and lowering the lift slider 10 may be used.

[0038] The shaft 12 is provided between the outside and the inside of the chamber 4, passing through a through-hole provided in the upper partition wall 4a of the chamber 4. The lower part of the shaft 12 is located inside the film formation space 2, and the carrier support means 8 is connected to the lower part of the shaft 12. The shaft 12 supports the substrate 5 via the carrier support means 8 and the substrate carrier 9.

[0039] The inner diameter of the through hole provided in the upper partition wall 4a is sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the shaft 12, so that the shaft 12 and the upper partition wall 4a do not interfere with each other. a The portion above the through-hole, i.e., the portion from the through-hole to the fixed portion with the lift-up slider 10, is covered by a bellows 40 fixed to the lift-up slider 10 and the upper partition wall 4a. The space inside the bellows 40 communicates with the space inside the chamber 4, and the two form a single closed space. Therefore, the entire shaft 12 exists in a space with the same conditions, such as pressure, as the film formation space 2. It is preferable that the bellows 40 be flexible not only in the Z direction but also in the X and Y directions. This reduces the resistance force generated when the bellows 40 is displaced due to operation of the film formation apparatus 1, and reduces the load on the drive source and components during alignment.

[0040] <Mask lifting means> The mask support means 16 is raised and lowered while being guided by an elevator guide 34 placed on the mask table base 19. The mask support means 16 is raised and lowered by an elevator device (not shown) provided inside or outside the elevator guide 34.

[0041] <Rotation / translation means> The rotation / translation means 11 is installed on the upper partition wall 4a of the chamber 4. Therefore, the alignment device 60 is provided outside the chamber 4. Since the alignment device 60 is located outside the film formation space 2, it is possible to suppress dust generation caused by the operation of movable parts in the film formation space 2 or the space where alignment is performed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in film formation accuracy caused by contamination of the mask 6 or substrate 5 by dust generation.

[0042] A lift base 13 is connected to the rotational translation means 11. The rotational translation means 11 drives the lift base 13 in the X direction, Y direction, and θ direction (collectively referred to as the XYθ direction) in a plane substantially parallel to the substrate carrier 9 and mask 6. In the first embodiment, the plane substantially parallel to the substrate carrier 9 and mask 6 is a horizontal plane. A guide 18 is provided on the lift base 13, and a lift slider 10 is provided along the guide 18 so as to be movable in the Z direction. The lift slider 10 is connected to the carrier support means 8 via a shaft 12.

[0043] The rotation / translation unit 11 drives the lift base 13, the lift slider 10, and the shaft 12 as a unit in the X, Y, and θ directions, thereby transmitting a driving force in the X, Y, and θ directions to the carrier support unit 8. As a result, the substrate 5 held by the substrate carrier 9 moves in the X, Y, and θ directions in a plane substantially parallel to the substrate 5 and the mask 6. Note that, as will be described later, the mask 6 and the substrate 5 are bent due to gravity. However, the plane substantially parallel to the substrate 5 and the mask 6 here refers to a plane substantially parallel to the substrate 5 and the mask 6 in an ideal state where no bending occurs. For example, in a configuration in which film formation is performed by deposition-up or deposition-down, the substrate 5 and the mask 6 are positioned horizontally, and the rotation / translation unit 11 moves the substrate 5 within the horizontal plane. Furthermore, when the lift slider 10 moves in the Z direction relative to the lift base 13 along the guide 18, a driving force in the Z direction is transmitted to the carrier support unit 8 via the shafts 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d. 2, the shaft 12d is not shown because it is hidden by the substrate 5 and the mask 6. As a result, the substrate 5 moves in the Z direction, and the distance between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 in the Z direction changes.

[0044] 11 is a diagram showing the configuration of the rotation / translation means 11. The rotation / translation means 11 has a plurality of (four in this example) drive units 21a, 21b, 21c, and 21d provided at the four corners of a rectangular base 28. The drive units 21 are provided at orientations rotated by 90 degrees around the Z axis so that the directions in which they generate drive forces differ by 90 degrees.

[0045] Each drive unit 21 has a first guide 22, a second guide 23, a rotary bearing 24, and a motor 25. The driving force generated by the motor 25 is transmitted via a ball screw 46, causing the first guide 22 to slide in a first direction and the second guide 23 to slide in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction on the XY plane. The rotary bearing 24 is rotatable around the Z axis. For example, in the case of drive unit 21d, the first guide 22 slides in the X direction and the second guide 23 slides in the Y direction perpendicular to the X direction. The other drive units 21a, 21b, and 21c each have a similar configuration to drive unit 21d, except that their orientations differ by 90 degrees from each other.

[0046] The motor 25 has a built-in rotary encoder (not shown), and the position or movement amount of the first guide 22 is obtained based on the number of rotations of the encoder. In each drive unit 21, the control unit 50 controls the drive of the motor 25, thereby controlling the position of the lift base 13 in the X, Y, and θ directions.

[0047] When moving the lift base 13 in the +X direction, the motor 25 generates a sliding force in the +X direction in each of the drive units 21a and 21d, thereby transmitting the force in the +X direction to the lift base 13. When moving the lift base 13 in the +Y direction, the motor 25 generates a sliding force in the +Y direction in each of the drive units 21b and 21c, thereby transmitting the force in the +Y direction to the lift base 13.

[0048] When the lift base 13 is rotated by +θ (rotated clockwise by θ) around a rotation axis parallel to the Z axis, the diagonally arranged drive units 21a and 21d are used to generate a force for rotating the lift base 13 by +θ around the Z axis with the motor 25, thereby transmitting a force in the +θ direction to the lift base 13. Alternatively, the drive units 21b and 21c can be used to rotate the lift base 13 by +θ. The force required for rotation may be transmitted to the descending base 13.

[0049] <Transportation by transport rollers> FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the mask 6 on which the substrate carrier 9 is placed is being transported by the transport rollers 15. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the mask 6 on which the substrate carrier 9 is placed and the transport rollers 15 as viewed in the X direction. After the alignment of the substrate 5 and the mask 6 is completed in the separated state, the carrier support means 8 descends, and the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6, resulting in a placed state. The mask support means 16 then descends, and the substrate carrier 9 and mask 6 are handed over to the transport rollers 15, which then transport them. The substrate carrier 9 and mask 6 handed over to the transport rollers 15 are transported along the Y direction in which the transport rollers 15 are aligned. The mask 6, substrate carrier 9, and substrate 5 are transported together by the transport rollers 15 and pass vertically above the evaporation source 7, thereby forming a thin film of the film-forming material on the area of ​​the substrate 5 other than the area blocked by the mask foil 6b.

[0050] <Carrier Support Means> Using Figure 7, we will explain one possible form of the carrier support means of this embodiment, in which the heights of the support surfaces are uniform. Note that this form is not necessarily adopted, but is used as an additional form to enable modification from a form in which the heights of some of the support surfaces differ, as described below. Such modification is possible by using a configuration in which the height of the support parts is variable.

[0051] Figure 7(a) shows a schematic configuration of an alignment device for a film formation apparatus. Figure 7(b) shows a state in which a substrate carrier 9X and a mask 6X are supported by their respective support means in the alignment device. In Figure 7, the width direction of the substrate 5X is the X direction, the length direction of the substrate 5X is the Y direction, and the vertical direction is the Z direction. The position in the Z direction is sometimes referred to as "height." The substrate 5X and the mask 6X are rectangular with their short sides in the X direction and their long sides in the Y direction, and the transport direction by transport rollers 15X is parallel to the Y direction.

[0052] The carrier support means 8X that supports the substrate carrier 9X has multiple support portions 80X that support one long side 91X of the substrate carrier 9X at multiple locations that are different in the Y direction. The heights of the locations supported by each of the multiple support portions 80X are the same. The other long side 92X of the substrate carrier 9X is supported by the carrier support means 8X in a similar manner. When supported by the carrier support means 8X, the cross-sectional shape of the substrate carrier 9X taken along an imaginary plane perpendicular to the X direction is parallel to the Y direction, and the cross-sectional shape taken along an imaginary plane perpendicular to the Y direction is bent downward in the vertical direction, forming a downwardly convex shape. The mask support means 16X that supports the mask 6X has multiple support portions 160X that support the long side of the mask 6X at multiple locations that are different in the Y direction. The heights of the locations supported by each of the multiple support portions 160X are the same. When supported by the mask support means 16X, the cross-sectional shape of the mask 6X taken along an imaginary plane perpendicular to the X direction is parallel to the Y direction, and the cross-sectional shape taken along an imaginary plane perpendicular to the Y direction is bent downward in the vertical direction to form a downward convex shape.

[0053] After aligning the substrate 5X and mask 6X held by the substrate carrier 9X, the carrier support means 8X supporting the substrate carrier 9X is lowered toward the mask 6X, thereby placing the substrate carrier 9X on the mask 6X. At this time, the long sides of the substrate carrier 9X supported by the carrier support means 8X and the long sides of the mask 6X supported by the mask support means 16X are both parallel to the Y direction, so when the two are brought close together, their long sides or regions extending along the long sides begin to come into contact. In an ideal situation where the approaching long sides come into contact while maintaining a parallel relationship, the entire long sides of both can come into contact simultaneously.

[0054] In reality, contact will start from a part of the long side due to the influence of external disturbances. The position of the substrate carrier 9X during lifting and lowering is not constant, and variations occur due to, for example, the straightness of each part of the lifting mechanism of the carrier support means 8X and vibrations during operation. Therefore, the contact start point when the long side of the substrate carrier 9X and the long side of the mask 6X come into contact is not constant but changes each time. If the contact start point changes, the reaction force that the substrate carrier 9X receives from the mask 6X during contact also changes, and the positional deviation that occurs when the substrate carrier 9X is seated on the mask 6X also changes. This reduces the reproducibility of the seating state of the substrate carrier 9X and the mask 6X, which may result in reduced alignment accuracy and film formation accuracy.

[0055] Therefore, another possible form of the carrier support means of this embodiment will be described using Figure 8. Figure 8(a) is a diagram showing a separated state in which the substrate carrier 9 is supported by the carrier support means 8, the mask 6 is supported by the mask support means 16, and the substrate carrier 9 is separated from the mask 6. Figure 8(b) is a diagram showing a state in which the substrate carrier 9 supported by the carrier support means 8 is supported by the mask support means 16 and starts to contact the mask 6 in the process of switching from the separated state to the placed state.

[0056] The carrier support means 8 is arranged side by side in the Y direction, which is a first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate 5, and has a plurality of first support portions 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86 (hereinafter, when the plurality of first support portions is not distinguished, they will be referred to as first support portion 80) that support the peripheral portion along a long side 91, which is a first side of the substrate carrier 9 that is parallel to the Y direction, at a plurality of different positions in the Y direction. Although not shown in FIG. 8(a), the carrier support means 8 also has a plurality of second support portions that are arranged side by side in the Y direction, which is the first direction, and that support the peripheral portion along a long side 92, which is a second side of the substrate carrier 9 that is parallel to the Y direction, at a plurality of different positions in the Y direction (hereinafter, when the first support portions and second support portions are not distinguished, the second support portions will also be denoted by the reference symbol 80).

[0057] In the separated state, the carrier support means 8 supports the peripheral edge portion along the long side 91 of the substrate carrier 9 so that the height of the portions supported by first support portions 83 and 84, which are some of the plurality of first support portions 80, is different from the height of the portions supported by first support portions 81, 82, 85, and 86, which are other portions of the plurality of first support portions 80. In other words, the carrier support means 8 supports the substrate carrier 9 in the separated state in a state in which the height of the support surface of some of the plurality of first support portions 80 is different from the height of the support surface of other portions of the plurality of first support portions 80.

[0058] In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8(a), the portions supported by first supports 83 and 84, which are some of the plurality of first supports 80, are located on a long side 91 of the substrate carrier 9 between first supports 81 and 82, which are other portions of the plurality of first supports 80, and first supports 85 and 86. The height of the portions supported by first supports 83 and 84, which are some of the plurality of first supports 80, is lower than the height of the portions supported by first supports 81, 82, 85, and 86, which are other portions of the plurality of first supports 80. Although not shown in FIG. 8(a), the second supports 80 of the carrier support means 8 also support the peripheral portion along the long side 92 of the substrate carrier 9 in a manner similar to that of the first supports 80.

[0059] In this way, by varying the heights of the locations where the multiple first support parts 80 support the long sides 91 of the substrate carrier 9, the shape of the substrate carrier 9 while supported by the carrier support means 8 changes from a shape parallel to the Y direction in a cross section perpendicular to the X direction as shown in Figure 7(b). The shape of the substrate carrier 9 while supported by the carrier support means 8 is determined by the heights of the locations where the multiple first support parts 80 support the long sides 91 of the substrate carrier 9.

[0060] For example, as shown in Figure 8(a), when first support portions 83 and 84 with a low support height are positioned between first support portions 81 and 82 with a high support height and first support portions 85 and 86, the shape of the substrate carrier 9 becomes a downward convex shape in a cross section perpendicular to the X direction. Since the first support portions 83, 84, which have a low supporting height, are located in the center of the long side 91 of the substrate carrier 9, the height of the point supported by the first support portions 83, 84 is the lowest on the long side 91. In the separated state, the carrier support means 8 supports the substrate carrier 9 so that the lowest part of the first side of the substrate carrier 9 is located in the center of the first side, and the lowest part of the second side of the substrate carrier 9 is located in the center of the second side.

[0061] Furthermore, among the multiple first support parts 80, the first support part 81 that supports the point closest to one end of the long side 91 has the lowest height, and the first support part 86 that supports the point closest to the other end has the highest height, and if the height of the supported points from first support part 81 to first support part 86 increases monotonically, the height of the point near the end closest to first support part 81 in the +Y direction on long side 91 will be the lowest among the points on long side 91.

[0062] The substrate carrier 9 is provided with a plurality of seating blocks 31 outside the holding surface that holds the substrate 5, so as to protrude toward the mask 6 beyond the substrate 5. In the first embodiment, the plurality of seating blocks 31 are provided at least on the lowest portion of the long side 91 and the lowest portion of the long side 92 of the substrate carrier 9 in the separated state. A portion of the plurality of first supports 80 whose support surface is lower than the others and a first support 80 adjacent to the portion support the substrate carrier 9, sandwiching at least one of the plurality of seating blocks 31 therebetween. A portion of the plurality of second supports 80 whose support surface is lower than the others and a second support 80 adjacent to the portion support the substrate carrier 9, sandwiching at least one of the plurality of seating blocks 31 therebetween. In the case of FIG. 8( a), the center of the long side 91 of the substrate carrier 9 is at the lowest position in the separated state, and a seating block indicated by reference symbol 31 a is provided in this portion.

[0063] Furthermore, when the height of the first support portion 81 is the lowest, the height of the first support portion 86 is the highest, and the height of the supporting portion from the first support portion 81 to the first support portion 86 increases monotonically, the height of the portion of the long side 91 closest to the end in the +Y direction is the lowest on the long side 91 in the separated state, so a seating block indicated by the symbol 31b is provided at this portion.

[0064] When the substrate carrier 9 is supported by the carrier support means 8 in the separated state as shown in Figure 8(a), when the carrier support means 8 descends toward the mask 6 to switch from the separated state to the placed state, the seating block 31a provided on the lowest part of the long side 91 of the substrate carrier 9 first comes into contact with the mask 6, as shown in Figure 8(b).

[0065] In this way, from a separated state in which the substrate carrier 9 is supported so that the height of the portions supported by some of the multiple first support portions 80 is lower than the height of the portions supported by the other portions, the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 are brought relatively close to each other, and the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6. Therefore, the height of the support surfaces of some of the multiple first support portions 80 is lower than the height of the support surfaces of the other portions. This allows the substrate carrier 9 to always start contacting the mask 6 from the seating block 31 provided on the portion of the long side 91 of the substrate carrier 9 that is at the lowest position in the separated state. Therefore, variation in the position at which the substrate carrier 9 starts contacting the mask 6 can be suppressed, and the seating position becomes constant, thereby improving the reproducibility of the seating manner between the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6.

[0066] 8(a) in the separated state, the substrate carrier 9 has a downwardly convex shape in a cross section perpendicular to the X direction. Therefore, in Figures 1 and 4, which show cross sections perpendicular to the Y direction, a downwardly convex bent portion that should be visible in the depths below the cross section of the substrate carrier 9 should actually be depicted, but this has been omitted to avoid cluttering the figures.

[0067] <Frictional force relationship> In embodiment 1, the frictional force generated between one of the multiple seating blocks 31 that first comes into contact with the mask 6 and the mask 6 is set to be greater than the frictional force generated between each of the multiple first support portions 80 and second support portions 80 of the carrier support means 8 and the substrate carrier 9.

[0068] Specifically, the frictional force generated in the horizontal direction at the contact portion between the mask frame 6a and the seating block 31 provided on the portion of the long side 91 of the substrate carrier 9 that is at the lowest position in the separated state is defined as Fc. The frictional force generated in the horizontal direction at the contact portion between the substrate carrier 9 and each carrier receiving surface 41 of the plurality of first support portions 80 of the carrier support means 8 is defined as Fa. The relationship between these frictional forces is designed to satisfy Fc > Fa.

[0069] 8(b), after the central seating block 31a and the mask 6 start to come into contact with each other, a relatively large frictional force acts as a horizontal force at the contact portion between the central seating block 31a and the mask 6. Therefore, the central seating block 31a does not move relative to the mask 6. On the other hand, a relatively small frictional force acts as a horizontal force at the contact portion between the carrier receiving surfaces 41 of the plurality of first supports 80 and the substrate carrier 9. Therefore, the substrate carrier 9 slides and moves relative to the carrier receiving surfaces 41.

[0070] The seating block 31a arranged at the center of the long side 91 of the substrate carrier 9 does not move from the position where it first contacted the mask 6 because the state of frictional force Fc>Fa is maintained from the time when it starts to contact the mask 6 until all the seating blocks 31 of the substrate carrier 9 are seated on the mask 6. This suppresses misalignment between the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 after the mask 6 starts to come into contact with the seating block 31a, which is provided at the portion that is at the lowest position in the separated state, when the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6. This improves the stability of the seating between the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6. In addition, the central seating block 31a that first comes into contact with the mask 6 can be used as a reference for aligning the substrate 5 and the mask 6.

[0071] 9A and 9B are diagrams showing the manner of contact between the seating block 31 and the mask 6, and the manner of contact between the substrate carrier 9 and the carrier support means 8. FIG. 9A shows the manner of contact between the seating block 31 and the mask frame 6a when the substrate carrier 9 is seated on the mask frame 6a via the seating block 31. The shaded area A indicates the contact area between the seating block 31 and the mask frame 6a. FIG. 9B shows the manner of contact between the carrier receiving surface 41 of the carrier support means 8 and the substrate carrier 9 when the carrier support means 8 supports the substrate carrier 9. The shaded area B indicates the contact area between the carrier receiving surface 41 and the substrate carrier 9.

[0072] The seating block 31 comes into contact with the mask 6 due to the vertical downward load from the substrate carrier 9, so the contact between the seating block 31 and the mask 6 is in a form in which substantially the entire lower surface of the seating block 31 makes surface contact with the mask 6, as shown in the shaded area A in FIG. 9( a). Meanwhile, when the substrate carrier 9 is supported by the carrier support means 8, the central portion in the X direction (short side direction) bends vertically downward due to its own weight, as shown in FIG. 1( b). Therefore, particularly when the substrate carrier 9 is large, the peripheral portion of the substrate carrier 9 along the Y direction (long side direction) is supported by the carrier receiving surfaces 41 of the first support parts 80 of the carrier support means 8 in a curved up state. Therefore, the contact between the substrate carrier 9 and the carrier receiving surfaces 41 of the first support parts 80 that support the peripheral portion along the long side of the substrate carrier 9 is in a form close to line contact, as shown in the shaded area B in FIG. 9( b). As shown in FIG. 9, the contact area of ​​contact portion A between the seating block 31 and the mask 6 is larger than the contact area of ​​contact portion B between each first support portion 80 and the substrate carrier 9.

[0073] The friction coefficient at the contact portion A between the seating block 31 and the mask 6 is μ1, the friction force is Fc, the friction coefficient at the contact portion B between the carrier receiving surface 41 and the substrate carrier 9 is μ2, and the friction force is Fa When the load of the substrate carrier 9 acting on each contact portion is the same, the magnitude relationship between the horizontal friction forces Fc and Fa generated at the contact portions A and B when the substrate carrier 9 is seated on the mask 6 is determined by the magnitude relationship between the friction coefficients μ1 and μ2 at the contact portions A and B. In the first embodiment, the friction coefficient at the contact portion between the mask 6 and one of the plurality of seating blocks 31 that first comes into contact with the mask 6 is set to be larger than the friction coefficient between each of the plurality of first support portions 80 and the second support portion 80 and the substrate carrier 9. As a result, μ1 > μ2, and the relationship Fc > Fa is established from the initial point when the central seating block 31 begins to contact the mask 6 in the process of seating the substrate carrier 9 on the mask 6. Therefore, positional deviation due to relative horizontal movement between the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 is suppressed in the process of seating the substrate carrier 9 on the mask 6.

[0074] The portion of the seating block 31 corresponding to the contact portion A that contacts the mask frame 6a and the portion of the mask frame 6a corresponding to the contact portion A that contacts the seating block 31 can be made of metal such as stainless steel or iron. In this case, the contact surface between the seating block 31 and the mask frame 6a at the contact portion A is metal-to-metal contact. The contact surface between the seating block 31 and the mask frame 6a at the contact portion A may also be a ground or polished surface. The contact at the contact portion A occurs in a vacuum environment, where water molecules on the metal surface evaporate, reducing the lubricating effect, resulting in a friction coefficient approaching 1.0. Therefore, the friction coefficient μ1 at the contact portion A between the seating block 31 and the mask frame 6a can be increased. The carrier support surface 41 may be coated with an inorganic material, a fluorine-based coating, a ceramic coating, or a DLC coating to reduce friction at the contact portion B with the substrate carrier 9, while still maintaining a frictional force sufficient to prevent the substrate carrier 9 from slipping off when supported solely by the carrier support means 8. Generally, the friction coefficient of a coating applicable to solid lubrication in a vacuum environment is 0.1 to 0.4, and it is possible to reduce the friction coefficient μ2 at the contact part B between the carrier receiving surface 41 and the substrate carrier 9. This satisfies the friction coefficient relationship μ1 > μ2, and makes it possible to satisfy the friction force relationship Fc > Fa.

[0075] The method for creating a difference in the slipperiness between the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 and the slipperiness between the substrate carrier 9 and the carrier support means 8 is not limited to the above. In order to make the contact area between the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 less slippery than the contact area between the substrate carrier 9 and the carrier support means 8 during the seating process, various conditions may be set, such as the combination of properties and materials of the contact surfaces, how the load and force are applied, and the positional relationship between the contact area and other members constituting the apparatus, in addition to the relationship between the frictional forces and friction coefficients as described above.

[0076] <Alignment camera> Position measurement for aligning the substrate 5 and the mask 6 will now be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, imaging devices 14 (14a, 14b, 14c, 14d) are provided on the outer surface of the upper partition wall 4a. Furthermore, an imaging through-hole is provided in the upper partition wall 4a on the camera optical axis of the imaging device 14. The imaging device 14, which is provided outside the chamber 4, simultaneously captures images of the substrate marks, which are alignment marks of the substrate 5, and the mask marks, which are alignment marks of the mask 6, both of which are located inside the chamber 4, via the through-hole. Based on the images of the mask marks and the substrate marks captured by the imaging device 14, information on the relative positional relationship between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 is obtained.

[0077] The through holes for imaging are sealed by window glasses 17 (17a, 17b, 17c, 17d). This makes it possible to image the inside of the chamber 4 from the outside while maintaining the air pressure inside the chamber 4. An illumination device (not shown) is provided inside or near the imaging device 14, and irradiates light near the alignment marks on the substrate 5 and the mask 6. This allows the alignment marks to be clearly imaged. Note that in FIG. 1, the imaging devices 14c, 14d, and the window glasses 17c , 17d are hidden by other members and are not shown in the figure.

[0078] <Alignment mark> A method for acquiring information on the relative positional relationship between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 using the imaging device 14 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0079] FIG. 12(a) is a top view of a substrate 5 held on a carrier face plate 30 of a substrate carrier 9 supported by a carrier support means 8, viewed from above in the -Z direction. The substrate 5 has board marks 37a, 37b, 37c, and 37d at its four corners as alignment marks for imaging by the imaging device 14. Each of the board marks 37a to 37d is simultaneously imaged by a corresponding one of the four imaging devices 14a to 14d, and the position of the center point of each of the board marks 37a to 37d is obtained based on the captured images. Positional information of the substrate 5 can be obtained by calculating the translational and rotational amounts of the substrate 5 from the positional relationship of the four points. A through-hole is provided in the carrier face plate 30 of the substrate carrier 9 at a position corresponding to the board mark 37. This allows the imaging device 14 to image the board mark 37 of the substrate 5 located below the carrier face plate 30 from above the carrier face plate 30.

[0080] 12(b) is a view of the mask 6 viewed from above in the -Z direction. Mask marks 38a, 38b, 38c, and 38d are provided at the four corners of the mask frame 6a as alignment marks for imaging by the imaging devices 14. Each of the mask marks 38a to 38d is simultaneously imaged by the corresponding one of the four imaging devices 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d, and the position of the center point of each of the mask marks 38a to 38d is obtained based on the captured images. Position information of the mask 6 can be obtained by calculating the amount of translation and rotation of the mask 6 from the positional relationship of the four points.

[0081] FIG. 12( c ) is a diagram schematically illustrating the field of view 44 of the imaging device 14 and a pair of the mask mark 38 and the board mark 37 captured within the field of view 44. If both the board mark 37 and the mask mark 38 are simultaneously within the field of view 44 of the imaging device 14, the positional relationship between the center points of the board mark 37 and the mask mark 38 can be obtained based on an image captured within the field of view 44. The coordinates of the center points of the board mark 37 and the mask mark 38 are determined by image processing executed by the control unit 50 based on the image captured by the imaging device 14. Note that the image processing may be performed by an image processing device provided separately from the control unit 50. Furthermore, the shapes of the board mark 37 and the mask mark 38 are not limited to the square and circle shown in FIG. 12 . For alignment marks such as the board mark 37 and the mask mark 38, it is preferable to use symmetrical shapes, such as an X or a cross, that make it easy to calculate the center position.

[0082] When high-precision alignment is required, a high-magnification CCD camera with a resolution on the order of several microns is used as the imaging device 14. The high-magnification CCD camera has a narrow field of view, e.g., a diameter of several millimeters. Therefore, depending on the position at which the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the carrier receiving claws 42 of the carrier support means 8, the substrate mark 37 may fall outside the field of view of the high-magnification CCD camera and may not be captured. Therefore, it is preferable to use a low-magnification CCD camera with a wide field of view in addition to the high-magnification CCD camera as the imaging device 14. In this case, the alignment process first involves performing rough alignment using the low-magnification CCD camera so that the mask mark 38 and the substrate mark 37 simultaneously fit within the field of view of the high-magnification CCD camera. After performing the rough alignment, the relative positional relationship between the mask mark 38 and the substrate mark 37 is acquired using the high-magnification CCD camera, and then fine alignment, which is a highly accurate alignment, is performed to align the substrate 5 and the mask 6.

[0083] By using a high-magnification CCD camera as the imaging device 14, the relative positions of the substrate 5 and the mask 6 can be adjusted with an error accuracy of several micrometers. The present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to an imaging device having a CMOS sensor as an imaging element, for example. Furthermore, when performing rough alignment and fine alignment, the present invention is not limited to a configuration in which a high-magnification camera and a low-magnification camera are separately installed side by side. For example, a camera with interchangeable high-magnification and low-magnification lenses, or a zoom lens may be used to perform high-magnification and low-magnification imaging with a single camera.

[0084] The control unit 50 acquires relative position information between the mask 6 and the substrate 5 from images of the alignment marks on the mask 6 and the substrate 5 captured by the imaging device 14, and controls the drive amounts of the drive devices such as the lift slider 10 and the rotation / translation means 11 based on the relative position information. In this way, the substrate 5 and the mask 6 are aligned.

[0085] <Alignment processing flow> The flow of the process of aligning the substrate 5 and the mask 6 and placing the substrate 5 on the mask 6 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 13. The process shown in this flowchart is executed by the control unit 50 controlling the operation of each unit of the film forming apparatus 1.

[0086] In step S101, the substrate carrier 9 holding the substrate 5 is carried into the chamber 4 from the outside through the gate valve and placed on the carrier receiving claws 42 of the carrier support means 8.

[0087] In step S102, the control unit 50 lowers the substrate carrier 9 and sets the position of the substrate carrier 9 in the Z direction to a position where it can be imaged by the low-magnification CCD camera of the imaging device 14.

[0088] In step S103, the control unit 50 captures an image of the board mark 37 provided on the board 5 with the low-magnification CCD camera of the imaging device 14. The control unit 50 acquires position information of the board 5 based on the captured image and stores it in memory.

[0089] Step S104 may be executed following step S103, or following a NO determination in step S107 or step S110.

[0090] In step S104, which follows step S103, the control unit 50 lowers the substrate carrier 9 and sets it to a height suitable for alignment. Then, based on the position information of the substrate 5 acquired in step S103, the control unit 50 controls the alignment device 60 to perform alignment, adjusting the horizontal position of the substrate 5. Specifically, the control unit 50 performs rough alignment, moving the substrate 5 in the X, Y, and θ directions so that the substrate mark 37 is within the field of view of the high-magnification CCD camera of the imaging device 14. It is assumed that the position of the mask 6 relative to the high-magnification CCD camera of the imaging device 14 has been adjusted in advance so that the mask mark 38 is within the field of view of the high-magnification CCD camera. Therefore, the rough alignment performed here can be considered to be a horizontal position adjustment of the substrate carrier 9 so that both the mask mark 38 and the substrate mark 37 are within the field of view of the high-magnification CCD camera of the imaging device 14. It is preferable to adjust the position of the mask mark 38 in advance so that it is located at the center of the field of view of the high-magnification CCD camera.

[0091] Here, the distance in the Z direction between the carrier receiving surface 41 on the upper surface of the carrier receiving claws 42 and the mask 6 in step S104 is set to be smaller than the distance when the substrate carrier 9 is in the image-capturing position by the low-magnification CCD camera in step S103, and is set to a distance that prevents the substrate 5 and the mask 6 from coming into contact when bent by its own weight. Therefore, when the substrate carrier 9 moves horizontally for alignment, the film-forming surface of the substrate 5 and the thin film that has already been formed will not come into contact with the mask 6 and be damaged. Note that the distance in the Z direction between the carrier receiving surface 41 on the upper surface of the carrier receiving claws 42 and the mask 6 in step S104 is set to be smaller than the distance when the substrate carrier 9 is in the image-capturing position by the low-magnification CCD camera in step S103, and is set to a distance that prevents the substrate 5 and the mask 6 from coming into contact when bent by its own weight. It may be the same as the distance.

[0092] In step S105, the control unit 50 lowers the substrate carrier 9 and sets the substrate 5 to a height at which the high-magnification CCD camera of the imaging device 14 focuses on both the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38. Because the depth of field of the high-magnification CCD camera is shallow, it may not be possible to focus on the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38 when the substrate 5 is at a height at which alignment with the mask 6 is possible. Even in such a case, it becomes possible to image the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38 by lowering the substrate carrier 9 to a height at which the high-magnification CCD camera can focus on both the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38.

[0093] In step S106, the control unit 50 uses the high-magnification CCD camera of the imaging device 14 to capture an image of both the board mark 37 on the board 5 and the mask mark 38 on the mask 6, with both included in the field of view. The control unit 50 acquires relative position information between the board 5 and the mask 6 based on the captured image. The relative position information is specifically information about the distance between the center positions of the board mark 37 and the mask mark 38 and the direction of misalignment.

[0094] In step S107, the control unit 50 determines whether the amount of misalignment between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 obtained in step S106 is equal to or less than a threshold value. The threshold value is a value that is set in advance based on the upper limit of the amount of misalignment between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 that allows for appropriate film formation processing. In the first embodiment, the threshold value is a value on the order of several μm. The threshold value is set appropriately depending on the required device characteristics and film formation accuracy.

[0095] If it is determined in step S107 that the amount of misalignment between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 exceeds the threshold (step S107: NO), the control unit 50 returns to step S104 to perform alignment, and then continues the processing from step S105 onwards.If it is determined in step S107 that the amount of misalignment between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 is equal to or less than the threshold (step S107: YES), the control unit 50 proceeds to step S108.

[0096] In step S104, which is executed if the determination in step S107 is NO, the control unit 50 raises the substrate carrier 9 and sets the substrate carrier 9 to a height for alignment. Then, based on the relative position information of the substrate 5 and the mask 6 acquired in step S106, the control unit 50 controls the alignment device 60 to perform alignment to adjust the horizontal position of the substrate 5. Specifically, the control unit 50 performs fine alignment by moving the substrate 5 in the X, Y, and θ directions so that the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38 are brought closer to each other and the amount of misalignment between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 is reduced.

[0097] Here, if the substrate carrier 9 is lowered in step S105 to a height where the high-magnification CCD camera can focus on both the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38, there is a possibility that a portion of the substrate 5, which has been bent due to its own weight, will come into contact with the mask 6. Therefore, in step S104, which is executed if the determination in step S107 is NO, the substrate carrier 9 is raised to a height where the substrate 5, which has been bent due to its own weight, will not come into contact with the mask 6. This prevents the film-forming surface of the substrate 5 or the thin film that has already been formed from coming into contact with the mask 6 during alignment and being damaged.

[0098] In step S108, the control unit 50 further lowers the substrate carrier 9 so that the entire substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6. This switches the substrate carrier 9, supported by the carrier support means 8, from a spaced state in which it is separated from the mask 6 supported by the mask support means 16 to a placed state in which it is placed on the mask 6. Here, both the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 are supported by the mask support means 16.

[0099] In step S109, the control unit 50 uses the high-magnification CCD camera of the imaging device 14 to capture an image of both the substrate mark 37 on the substrate 5 and the mask mark 38 on the mask 6 in the field of view. The control unit 50 obtains relative position information between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 based on the captured image, and measures the amount of positional deviation between the substrate 5 and the mask 6.

[0100] In step S110, the control unit 50 determines whether the amount of misalignment between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 measured in step S109 is equal to or less than a threshold value. The threshold value is a value that is set in advance based on the upper limit of the amount of misalignment between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 that allows the film formation process to be performed with sufficient accuracy.

[0101] If it is determined in step S110 that the amount of misalignment between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 exceeds the threshold (step S110: NO), the control unit 50 raises the carrier receiving claws 42 of the carrier support means 8 to the height of the substrate carrier 9, so that the carrier support means 8 supports the substrate carrier 9 and switches the substrate carrier 9 and mask 6 to a separated state. Then, the process returns to step S104 to perform the alignment operation. Thereafter, the process continues from step S105 onwards. Note that a case in which a NO determination is made in step S110 can occur, for example, when a misalignment between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 occurs due to vibration or the like between steps S107 and S110.

[0102] In step S110, if it is determined that the amount of misalignment between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 is equal to or less than the threshold value (step S110: YES), the control unit 50 proceeds to step S111.

[0103] In step S110, the control unit 50 lowers the mask support means 16 and transfers the mask 6 carrying the substrate carrier 9 to the transport rollers 15. This completes the process of aligning the substrate 5 and the mask 6 and placing the substrate 5 on the mask 6.

[0104] According to the alignment process and placement process of the first embodiment described above, a carrier supporting process is performed in which, in a separated state in which the substrate carrier 9 is separated from the mask 6, the peripheral portion along the first and second sides of the substrate carrier 9 (long sides 91, 92 parallel to the Y direction) parallel to the first direction (Y direction) along the film deposition surface of the substrate 5 is supported by the carrier supporting means 8 at multiple locations that are different in the first direction so that the height of some locations on these sides differs from the height of other locations. Also, a mask supporting process is performed in which, in the separated state, the mask 6 is supported by the mask supporting means 16. In the first embodiment, the substrate carrier 9 is supported so that some locations on the first and second sides of the substrate carrier 9 are located between other locations, and the height of some locations on the first and second sides of the substrate carrier 9 is lower than the height of other locations. Furthermore, the substrate carrier 9 is supported such that some portions of the first and second sides of the substrate carrier 9 are located in the center of the first and second sides, and the heights of some portions of the first and second sides of the substrate carrier 9 are the lowest among the first and second sides. Then, in step S108, a placing step is performed in which the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6 by moving at least one of the substrate carrier 9 supported in the carrier supporting step and the mask 6 supported in the mask supporting step in the height direction.

[0105] Therefore, when the substrate carrier 9 is supported by the carrier support means 8, it bends in a downwardly convex shape in a cross section perpendicular to the X direction, and the distance from the central part to the mask 6 is smallest. When the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6 in this state, the seating block 31 provided in the central part of the substrate carrier 9 first comes into contact with the mask 6 and sits on the mask 6. At this time, the frictional force generated between the seating block 31 in the central part of the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6, as explained in FIG. 9, is greater than the frictional force generated between the carrier support means 8 and the substrate carrier 9, so the seating block 31 in the central part does not move from the position where it was initially seated. In the separated state, during the placement process from when the seating block 31 located in the lowest position sits on the mask 6 until all the seating blocks 31 sit on the mask 6, a positional deviation between the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 occurs. Difficult.

[0106] 8(b), the substrate carrier 9 is seated on the mask 6 in order from the seating blocks 31 at the center of the substrate carrier 9 to the seating blocks 31 at the edges, with the center of the substrate carrier 9 remaining convex toward the mask 6. This reduces the likelihood of a situation in which a negative determination is made in step S110, requiring re-execution of fine alignment, thereby preventing a lengthy alignment process. This also reduces the degradation of film formation accuracy due to a gap between the substrate 5 and the mask 6. Furthermore, because the substrate 5 is always seated on the mask 6 at the central seating block 31 in the transport direction, the substrate 5 and the mask 6 can be aligned with high precision, improving the reproducibility of the seating state and the stability of the contact state, thereby improving film formation accuracy.

[0107] Furthermore, when switching from the separated state to the placed state, after the substrate carrier 9 comes into contact with the mask 6, it is supported by the carrier support means 8 so that it slides more easily in the horizontal direction relative to the carrier receiving surfaces 41 of the carrier support means 8 than relative to the mask 6. Therefore, even if deformation occurs such that the positions of both end portions in the Y direction are displaced in the Y direction as the deflection of the substrate carrier 9 is released, this displacement of both end portions can be absorbed and eliminated by sliding against the carrier receiving surfaces 41 of the carrier support means 8 rather than sliding against the mask 6. This effectively prevents horizontal positional deviation when the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6.

[0108] (Embodiment 2) In the first embodiment, the carrier support means 8 supports the peripheral edge of the substrate carrier 9 at multiple points along the long sides thereof, and the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6 in such a state that the height of some points is lower than that of other points. With this configuration, when the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6, the substrate carrier 9 always starts to come into contact with the mask 6 from a predetermined point on the long sides of the substrate carrier 9, i.e., a point supported at a low position, and therefore the reproducibility of the seating state of the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 can be improved.

[0109] In the second embodiment, a configuration will be described in which the mask supporting means supports the peripheral edge of the mask at multiple points along the long sides thereof, with some points being higher than others, and the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0110] Fig. 10(a) is a diagram showing a separated state in which the substrate carrier 9 is supported by the carrier support means 8, the mask 6 is supported by the mask support means 16, and the substrate carrier 9 is separated from the mask 6. Fig. 10(b) is a diagram showing a state in which the substrate carrier 9 supported by the carrier support means 8 is supported by the mask support means 16 and starts to come into contact with the mask 6 in the process of switching from the separated state to the placed state.

[0111] The carrier support means 800 has a plurality of first support portions 801 arranged side by side in the Y direction, which is a first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate 5, and supporting the peripheral portion along the long side 91, which is the first side of the substrate carrier 9 parallel to the Y direction, at a plurality of points at different positions in the Y direction. In the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the heights of the plurality of points at which the plurality of first support portions 801 support the substrate carrier 9 are the same.

[0112] The mask support means 20 is arranged in the Y direction, which is the first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate 5, and has a plurality of first support portions 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176 (hereinafter, when the plurality of first support portions are not to be distinguished from one another, they will be referred to as first support portions 170) that support the peripheral portion along the long side 71, which is the first side of the mask 6 parallel to the Y direction, at a plurality of different positions in the Y direction. 10(b), the mask support means 20 also has a plurality of second support portions that are arranged side by side in the Y direction, which is the first direction, and that support the peripheral portion along the long side 72, which is the second side of the mask 6 that is parallel to the Y direction, at a plurality of different positions in the Y direction (hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the first support portions and the second support portions, the second support portions will also be denoted by the reference numeral 170).

[0113] In the separated state, the mask support means 20 supports the peripheral portion along the long side 71 of the mask 6 so that the height of the portion supported by first support portions 173, 174, which are some of the plurality of first support portions 170, is different from the height of the portion supported by first support portions 171, 172, 175, 176, which are other portions of the plurality of first support portions 170.

[0114] In the second embodiment, as shown in Fig. 10(a), the portions supported by first support portions 173 and 174, which are some of the plurality of first support portions 170, are located on the long side 71 of the mask 6 between first support portions 171 and 172, which are other portions of the plurality of first support portions 170, and first support portions 175 and 176. The height of the portions supported by first support portions 173 and 174, which are some of the plurality of first support portions 170, is higher than the height of the portions supported by first support portions 171, 172, 175, and 176, which are other portions of the plurality of first support portions 170. Although not shown in Fig. 10(a), the second support portion 170 of the mask support means 20 also supports the peripheral portion along the long side 72 of the mask 6 in a manner similar to the first support portion 170.

[0115] In this way, by varying the heights of the locations where the multiple first support parts 170 support the long sides 71 of the mask 6, the shape of the mask 6 supported by the mask support means 20 changes from a shape parallel to the Y direction in a cross section perpendicular to the X direction as shown in Figure 8(a) of embodiment 1. The shape of the mask 6 when supported by the mask support means 20 is determined by the heights of the locations where the multiple first support parts 170 support the long sides 71 of the mask 6.

[0116] 10(a), when first support portions 173, 174 having a high support height are positioned between first support portions 171, 172 having a low support height and first support portions 175, 176, the shape of the mask 6 becomes an upward convex shape in a cross section perpendicular to the X direction. In the case of Fig. 10(a), first support portions 173, 174 having a high support height are positioned in the center of long side 71 of the mask 6, and therefore the height of the portion supported by first support portions 173, 174 becomes the highest on long side 71.

[0117] Furthermore, among the multiple first support portions 170, the first support portion 171 that supports the point closest to one end of the long side 71 has the highest height, and the first support portion 176 that supports the point closest to the other end has the lowest height, and if the heights of the supported points from the first support portion 171 to the first support portion 176 become monotonically lower, the height of the point on the long side 71 near the end on the first support portion 170 side in the +Y direction will be the highest among the points on the long side 71.

[0118] The substrate carrier 9 is provided with a plurality of seating blocks 31 outside the holding surface that holds the substrate 5, so as to protrude further toward the mask 6 than the substrate 5. In the second embodiment, the plurality of seating blocks 31 are provided at least at positions facing the highest portion of the long sides 71 of the mask 6 when supported by the mask support means 20, and at positions facing the highest portion of the long sides 72 of the mask 6 when supported by the mask support means 20. In the case of Fig. 10(a), the center of the long sides 71 of the mask 6 when supported by the mask support means 20 is at the highest position, and a seating block indicated by reference symbol 31a is provided on the substrate carrier 9 at a position facing this portion (the center of the long sides 71).

[0119] In addition, if the height of the first support portion 171 is the highest, the height of the first support portion 176 is the lowest, and the height of the supporting portion from the first support portion 171 to the first support portion 176 monotonically decreases, When supported by the mask support means 20, the height of the long side 71 of the mask 6 at the point closest to the end in the +Y direction is the highest of all the long sides 71, so a seating block indicated by the symbol 31b is provided in the substrate carrier 9 at a position opposite this part (the point closest to the end in the +Y direction).

[0120] When the substrate carrier 9 is supported by the carrier support means 8 and the mask 6 is supported by the mask support means 20 in the separated state as shown in Figure 10(a), when the carrier support means 8 descends toward the mask 6 to switch from the separated state to the placed state, as shown in Figure 10(b), the seating block 31a, which is provided on the part of the long side 91 of the substrate carrier 9 that faces the highest position of the long side 71 of the mask 6, first comes into contact with the mask 6.

[0121] In this way, from a separated state in which the mask 6 is supported such that the height of the portions supported by some of the multiple first support portions 170 is higher than the height of the portions supported by the other portions, the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 are brought relatively close to each other, and the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6. Therefore, the height of the support surfaces of some of the multiple first support portions 170 becomes higher than the height of the support surfaces of the other portions. This allows the substrate carrier 9 to always start contacting the mask 6 from the seating block 31 provided on the portion of the long side 91 of the substrate carrier 9 that faces the highest position of the long side 71 of the mask 6 in the separated state. Therefore, variation in the position at which the substrate carrier 9 starts contacting the mask 6 can be suppressed, and the seating position becomes constant, improving the reproducibility of the seating manner between the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6.

[0122] In the first and second embodiments, the substrate carrier is positioned vertically above the mask in the separated state. However, the mask may be positioned vertically above the substrate carrier in the separated state. Furthermore, the substrate, substrate carrier, and mask are each rectangular in shape. However, the shapes are not limited to rectangular. For example, if the substrate carrier is not rectangular, the carrier support means may support the peripheral edge of the substrate carrier along a side that is nearly parallel to the transport direction at multiple locations along the transport direction. Furthermore, although the examples have been described in which at least one of the substrate carrier and the mask is moved vertically when switching between the separated state and the loaded state, the direction of movement is not limited to vertical as long as the substrate carrier and the mask can be loaded or seated.

[0123] In addition, in the first embodiment, an example has been described in which the multiple support portions of the carrier support means support the peripheral edge of the substrate carrier at multiple different points along the long side so that the height of the center of the long side of the substrate carrier is lowest when the substrate carrier is supported by the carrier support means, but the shape of the substrate carrier supported by the carrier support means is not limited to this example. The lowest point on the long side of the substrate carrier may be located at a position shifted from the center of the long side.

[0124] The multiple support portions of the carrier support means may support the peripheral edge of the substrate carrier at multiple different locations along its long sides so that the shape of the substrate carrier supported by the carrier support means has a single lowest point in a cross section of a virtual plane (a virtual plane perpendicular to the X direction) parallel to the first direction and the vertical direction along the film formation surface of the substrate. That is, the carrier support means supports the substrate carrier so that, in the separated state, each of the first and second sides of the substrate carrier has a single lowest point. This increases the reproducibility of the position at which the substrate carrier first contacts the mask when placing the substrate carrier on the mask. Furthermore, by providing a seating block at the lowest point and setting the frictional force so that the contact point between the substrate carrier and the carrier support means is more easily slippery than the contact point between the seating block and the mask, it is possible to prevent the position at which the substrate carrier first contacts the mask from shifting during the process of placing the substrate carrier on the mask.

[0125] Similarly, in the second embodiment, an example has been described in which the multiple support portions of the mask support means support the peripheral edge of the mask at multiple different points along the long sides so that the height of the center of the long sides of the mask is highest when supported by the mask support means, but the shape of the mask supported by the mask support means is not limited to this example. The highest point on the long sides of the mask may be located at a position shifted from the center of the long sides.

[0126] The mask support means may be configured so that the mask support means supports the peripheral edge of the mask at multiple different locations along its long sides so that the mask supported by the mask support means has a shape with a single highest point in a cross section of a virtual plane parallel to the first direction and the vertical direction along the film formation surface of the substrate (a virtual plane perpendicular to the X direction). This configuration increases the reproducibility of the position at which the substrate carrier first contacts the mask when placing the mask on the mask. Furthermore, by providing a seating block at a location on the substrate carrier opposite the highest point and setting the frictional force so that the contact point between the substrate carrier and the carrier support means is more easily slippery than the contact point between the seating block and the mask, it is possible to prevent the first contact point with the mask from shifting during the process of placing the substrate carrier on the mask.

[0127] (Embodiment 3) Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, a film formation apparatus was described in which both alignment of the substrate and the mask and film formation are performed in one chamber. In the film formation apparatus of the third embodiment, at least alignment of the substrate and the mask is performed and film formation is performed in one chamber. of mask to Placement a first chamber as a mask chamber for to and a second chamber as a film formation chamber in which a film is formed through a mask on the film formation surface of the substrate held by the placed substrate carrier. 3 In the description of this embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. 3 Items not specifically explained here are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0128] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a film formation apparatus according to a third embodiment. The film formation apparatus 300 constitutes part of an apparatus for in-line manufacturing of organic EL panels. The film formation apparatus 300 includes a loading chamber 90, a mask chamber 100, and a film formation chamber 110. In the loading chamber 90, a substrate 5 and a mask 6 are loaded into the line. The mask chamber 100 includes an alignment device 60, which aligns the substrate 5 and the mask 6 held by a substrate carrier 9, and the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6. The mask 6 with the substrate carrier 9 placed thereon is transported by transport rollers 15 to the film formation chamber 110. In the film formation chamber 110, the loaded substrate carrier 9 and mask 6 are transported by the transport rollers 15 along the first direction, i.e., the Y direction, while vacuum deposition is performed using an evaporation source 7. As a result, a thin film of the film formation material is formed on the film formation surface of the substrate 5.

[0129] (Embodiment 4) A method for manufacturing an electronic device using the film formation apparatus of the above embodiment will be described. Here, a method for manufacturing an organic EL element used in an organic EL display will be described as an example of the electronic device. However, the electronic device is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied to the manufacture of a thin-film solar cell or an organic CMOS image sensor. The method for manufacturing an electronic device of this embodiment includes a step of forming an organic film on a substrate 5 using the film formation apparatus of the above embodiment. Furthermore, after the organic film is formed on the substrate 5, a step of forming a metal film or a metal oxide film is also included. The structure of an organic EL display device 600 using an organic EL element manufactured by these steps will be described below.

[0130] FIG. 15(a) is an overall view of an organic EL display device 600, and FIG. 15(b) shows the cross-sectional structure of one pixel of the organic EL display device 600. As shown in FIG. 15(a), a plurality of pixels 62, each of which includes a plurality of light-emitting elements, are arranged in a matrix in a display region 61 of the organic EL display device 600. Each of the light-emitting elements has a structure including an organic layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes. The term "pixel" as used herein refers to the smallest unit capable of displaying a desired color in the display region 61. In the organic EL display device 600, a pixel 62 is formed by a combination of a first light-emitting element 62R, a second light-emitting element 62G, and a third light-emitting element 62B, which emit light of different colors. The first light-emitting element 62R, the second light-emitting element 62G, and the third light-emitting element 62B are red light-emitting elements, green light-emitting elements, and blue light-emitting elements, respectively. The number of light-emitting elements per pixel and the combination of emitted colors are not limited to this example. For example, a combination of yellow light-emitting elements, cyan light-emitting elements, and white light-emitting elements may be used, or at least one color may be used. Furthermore, each light-emitting element may be formed by stacking multiple light-emitting layers.

[0131] A pixel 62 may be configured with multiple light-emitting elements that emit the same color, and a color filter with different color conversion elements arranged to correspond to each light-emitting element may be used to enable one pixel 62 to display a desired color. For example, a pixel 62 may be configured with three white light-emitting elements, and a color filter with red, green, and blue color conversion elements arranged to correspond to each light-emitting element. Alternatively, a pixel 62 may be configured with three blue light-emitting elements, and a color filter with red, green, and achromatic color conversion elements arranged to correspond to each light-emitting element. Note that the number of light-emitting elements per pixel and the combination of emitted colors are not limited to these examples. In the latter case, by using a quantum dot color filter (QD-CF) using quantum dot (QD) material as the material for the color filter, the display color gamut can be wider than that of an organic EL display device that does not use a quantum dot color filter.

[0132] 15(b) is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram taken along line AB in FIG. 15(a). A pixel 62 includes an organic EL element including a first electrode (anode) 64, a hole transport layer 65, a light-emitting layer 66R, 66G, or 66B, an electron transport layer 67, and a second electrode (cathode) 68 formed on a substrate 5. The hole transport layer 65, the light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B, and the electron transport layer 67 are organic layers. The light-emitting layer 66R is an organic EL layer that emits red light, the light-emitting layer 66G is an organic EL layer that emits green light, and the light-emitting layer 66B is an organic EL layer that emits blue light. When a color filter or a quantum dot color filter is used, the color filter or quantum dot color filter is disposed on the light-emitting side of each light-emitting layer, i.e., on the upper or lower side in FIG. 15(b).

[0133] The light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B are organic EL elements that emit red, green, and blue light, respectively. The light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B are formed according to the arrangement pattern of the light-emitting elements 62R, 62G, and 62B. The first electrodes 64 are formed for each light-emitting element and are separated from one another. The hole transport layer 65, the electron transport layer 67, and the second electrode 68 may be formed so as to be shared by multiple light-emitting elements 62R, 62G, and 62B, or may be formed separately for each light-emitting element. An insulating layer 69 is provided between the first electrodes 64 to prevent short-circuiting between the first electrode 64 and the second electrode 68 due to foreign matter. Because the organic EL layer deteriorates due to moisture and oxygen, a protective layer P is provided to protect the organic EL elements from moisture and oxygen.

[0134] A method for manufacturing an organic EL display device as an electronic device will be described.

[0135] First, a substrate 5 on which a circuit (not shown) for driving the organic EL display device and a first electrode 64 are formed is prepared.

[0136] Next, a resin layer such as an acrylic resin or polyimide is formed by spin coating on the substrate 5 on which the first electrode 64 has been formed, and the resin layer is patterned by lithography so as to form an opening in the area where the first electrode 64 has been formed, thereby forming an insulating layer 69. This opening corresponds to the light-emitting region where the light-emitting element actually emits light.

[0137] Next, the substrate 5 on which the insulating layer 69 has been patterned is carried into a first film formation apparatus, and the substrate is held by a substrate holding unit. A hole transport layer 65 is then formed as a common layer on the first electrode 64 in the display area. The hole transport layer 65 is formed by vacuum deposition. In practice, the hole transport layer 65 is formed to be larger than the display area 61, so a high-resolution mask is not required. The film formation apparatus used in this step and in forming each of the following layers is the film formation apparatus described in any of the above embodiments.

[0138] Next, the substrate 5 on which the hole transport layer 65 has been formed is carried into a second film formation apparatus and held by a substrate holding unit. The substrate 5 and the mask 6 are aligned, the substrate 5 is placed on the mask 6, and a red light-emitting layer 66R is formed on the portion of the substrate 5 where the red light-emitting element is to be disposed. By using the film formation apparatus of embodiment 4, the mask 6 and the substrate 5 can be aligned with high precision and the mask 6 and the substrate 5 can be brought into good contact with each other, thereby enabling highly accurate film formation.

[0139] Similar to the formation of the light-emitting layer 66R, a green-emitting light-emitting layer 66G is formed using a third film-forming apparatus, and then a blue-emitting light-emitting layer 66B is formed using a fourth film-forming apparatus. After the formation of the light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B is completed, an electron transport layer 67 is formed over the entire display area 61 using a fifth film-forming apparatus. Each of the light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B may be a single layer or a layer in which multiple different layers are stacked. The electron transport layer 67 is formed as a layer common to the three light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B. In the fourth embodiment, the electron transport layer 67 and the light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B are formed by vacuum deposition.

[0140] Next, a second electrode 68 is formed on the electron transport layer 67. The second electrode may be formed by vacuum deposition or sputtering. Thereafter, the substrate 5 on which the second electrode 68 has been formed is moved to a sealing device, where a sealing step is performed in which a protective layer P is formed by plasma CVD, thereby completing the organic EL display device 600. Note that, although the protective layer P is formed by the CVD method here, the method is not limited thereto and may also be formed by the ALD method or the inkjet method.

[0141] During the period from when the substrate 5 on which the insulating layer 69 has been patterned is carried into the film formation apparatus until the formation of the protective layer P is completed, the substrate 5 is exposed to an atmosphere containing moisture and oxygen, and the light-emitting layer may be deteriorated by the moisture and oxygen. In the fourth embodiment, the substrate 5 is carried in and out of the film formation apparatus in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere. [Explanation of symbols]

[0142] 5: substrate, 6: mask, 8: carrier support means, 9: substrate carrier, 16: mask support means, 20: mask support means, 60: alignment device, 71: first edge, 72: second edge, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86: first support portion, second support portion, 91: first edge, 92: second edge, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176: first support portion, second support portion, 800: carrier support means

Claims

1. a carrier support means for supporting a substrate carrier that holds a substrate; a mask support means for supporting the mask; a moving means for moving at least one of the carrier supporting means and the mask supporting means so as to switch between a separated state in which the substrate carrier is separated from the mask and a placed state in which the substrate carrier is placed on the mask, The carrier support means includes: a plurality of first support portions arranged side by side in a first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate, the first support portions supporting a peripheral edge portion of a first side of the substrate carrier along the first direction; a plurality of second support portions arranged side by side in the first direction and supporting a peripheral edge portion of a second side of the substrate carrier along the first direction; the carrier support means supports the substrate carrier in the separated state in a state in which a height of a support surface of some of the plurality of first support portions is different from a height of a support surface of other of the plurality of first support portions and a height of a support surface of some of the plurality of second support portions is different from a height of a support surface of other of the plurality of second support portions, so that in the separated state, the first side and the second side of the substrate carrier each have a single lowest part; the substrate carrier has a plurality of seating members provided on an outer side of a holding surface that holds the substrate, the seating members protruding toward the mask beyond the substrate; one of the plurality of seating members is provided at a position of the first side of the substrate carrier that has the lowest height at least in the separated state; a second seating member provided on the second side of the substrate carrier at least in the separated state, the second seating member being located at a position having the lowest height on the second side of the substrate carrier;

2. 2. The carrier support device of claim 1, wherein the carrier support means supports the substrate carrier so that, in the separated state, the lowest part of the first side of the substrate carrier is located at the center of the first side, and the lowest part of the second side of the substrate carrier is located at the center of the second side.

3. 2. The carrier support device of claim 1, wherein the friction force generated between one of the plurality of seating members that first contacts the mask and the mask is greater than the friction force generated between each of the plurality of first support portions and the plurality of second support portions and the substrate carrier.

4. 4. The carrier support device of claim 3, wherein a coefficient of friction between one of the plurality of seating members that first contacts the mask and the mask is greater than a coefficient of friction between each of the plurality of first support portions and the plurality of second support portions and the substrate carrier.

5. A carrier support device described in any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the contact area between each of the plurality of seating members and the mask is larger than the contact area between each of the plurality of first support parts and the plurality of second support parts and the substrate carrier.

6. 6. The carrier support device according to claim 2, wherein a portion of each of the plurality of seating members that contacts the mask and a portion of the mask that contacts each of the plurality of seating members are made of metal.

7. A carrier support device as described in any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the portion of each of the plurality of seating members that contacts the mask and the portion of the mask that contacts each of the plurality of seating members are composed of polished or ground surfaces.

8. the first support portions are positioned between the other first support portions in the first direction; the first support portions are positioned between the second support portions in the first direction; In the separated state, the carrier support means The height of the support surface of the part of the plurality of first support portions is lower than the height of the support surface of the other part of the plurality of first support portions, and 2. The carrier support device of claim 1, wherein the substrate carrier is supported so that the height of the support surface of some of the plurality of second support portions is lower than the height of the support surface of other of the plurality of second support portions.

9. In the separated state, the carrier support means a height of a support surface of the part of the plurality of first support portions is the lowest among the plurality of first support portions; 9. The carrier support device according to claim 8, wherein the substrate carrier is supported so that the height of the support surface of the part of the plurality of second support portions is the lowest among the plurality of second support portions.

10. the substrate carrier has a plurality of seating members provided on an outer side of a holding surface that holds the substrate, the seating members protruding toward the mask beyond the substrate; the first support portion of the plurality of first support portions and a first support portion adjacent to the first support portion support the substrate carrier with at least one of the plurality of seating members sandwiched therebetween; A carrier support device as described in claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the part of the plurality of second support portions and the second support portion adjacent to the part support the substrate carrier, sandwiching at least one of the plurality of seating members between them.

11. 11. The carrier support device of claim 10, wherein the friction force generated between one of the plurality of seating members that first contacts the mask and the mask is greater than the friction force generated between each of the plurality of first support portions and the plurality of second support portions and the substrate carrier.

12. 11. The carrier support device of claim 10, wherein a coefficient of friction between one of the plurality of seating members that first contacts the mask and the mask is greater than a coefficient of friction between each of the plurality of first support portions and the plurality of second support portions and the substrate carrier.

13. 13. The carrier support device according to claim 11, wherein the contact area between each of the plurality of seating members and the mask is larger than the contact area between each of the plurality of first support portions and the plurality of second support portions and the substrate carrier.

14. A carrier support device according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the portions of each of the plurality of seating members that contact the mask and the portions of the mask that contact each of the plurality of seating members are made of metal.

15. A carrier support device described in any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that the portion of each of the plurality of seating members that contacts the mask and the portion of the mask that contacts each of the plurality of seating members are composed of polished or ground surfaces.

16. A carrier support means for supporting a substrate carrier for holding a substrate; a mask support means for supporting the mask; a moving means for moving at least one of the carrier supporting means and the mask supporting means so as to switch between a separated state in which the substrate carrier is separated from the mask and a placed state in which the substrate carrier is placed on the mask, the carrier support means is a plurality of first support portions arranged in a first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate, and supporting a peripheral portion of a first side of the substrate carrier along the first direction; The substrate carrier has a second side along the first direction, and the second side is arranged in the first direction. a plurality of second support portions that support the peripheral edge portion, the carrier support means supports the substrate carrier in the separated state in a state in which a height of a support surface of some of the plurality of first support portions is different from a height of a support surface of other of the plurality of first support portions and a height of a support surface of some of the plurality of second support portions is different from a height of a support surface of other of the plurality of second support portions, so that in the separated state, the first side and the second side of the substrate carrier each have a single lowest part; A carrier support device characterized in that the portions of each of the plurality of first support portions and the plurality of second support portions that come into contact with the substrate carrier are coated with either an inorganic material, a fluorine-based coating, a ceramic-based coating, or a DLC coating.

17. the mask has a frame-shaped mask frame and a mask foil supported by the mask frame; 17. The carrier support device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate carrier first comes into contact with the mask frame when switching from the separated state to the placed state.

18. A carrier support device described in any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that the moving means brings the substrate carrier in the separated state into contact with the mask while the height of the support surfaces of some of the plurality of first support parts is different from the height of the support surfaces of other parts of the plurality of first support parts, and while the height of the support surfaces of some of the plurality of second support parts is different from the height of the support surfaces of other parts of the plurality of second support parts.

19. a carrier support means for supporting a substrate carrier that holds a substrate; a mask support means for supporting the mask; a moving means for moving at least one of the carrier supporting means and the mask supporting means so as to switch between a separated state in which the substrate carrier is separated from the mask and a placed state in which the substrate carrier is placed on the mask, The mask support means comprises: a plurality of first support portions arranged side by side in a first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate, the first support portions supporting a peripheral portion of a first side of the mask along the first direction; a plurality of second support portions arranged side by side in the first direction and supporting a peripheral portion of a second side of the mask along the first direction, the mask support means supports the mask in the separated state in a state in which a height of a support surface of some of the plurality of first support parts is different from a height of a support surface of other of the plurality of first support parts, and a height of a support surface of some of the plurality of second support parts is different from a height of a support surface of other of the plurality of second support parts, so that in the separated state, the first side and the second side of the mask each have a single highest part; the substrate carrier has a plurality of seating members provided on an outer side of a holding surface that holds the substrate, the seating members protruding toward the mask beyond the substrate; one of the plurality of seating members is provided at a position of the first side of the substrate carrier that has the lowest height at least in the separated state; a second seating member provided on the second side of the substrate carrier at least in the separated state, the second seating member being located at a position having the lowest height on the second side of the substrate carrier;

20. A carrier support device according to any one of claims 1 to 19; an alignment unit that adjusts the relative positions of the substrate held by the substrate carrier and the mask in a direction along the film deposition surface in the separated state, The alignment apparatus is characterized in that the moving means switches from the separated state to the placed state after the alignment means adjusts the relative positions of the substrate and the mask.

21. a mask chamber having the carrier support device according to any one of claims 1 to 19 or the alignment device according to claim 20, for placing the substrate carrier on the mask; a film formation chamber having a film formation means for forming a film through the mask on a film formation surface of a substrate held by the substrate carrier placed on the mask; a transport means for transporting the mask on which the substrate carrier is placed in the mask chamber, within the film deposition chamber, along the first direction.

22. 1. A mask mounting method for mounting a substrate carrier holding a substrate onto a mask, comprising: a carrier supporting step of supporting a peripheral portion of the first side of the substrate carrier and a peripheral portion of the second side of the substrate carrier at a plurality of points by making a height of a portion of a first side of the substrate carrier different from another height and a height of a portion of a second side of the substrate carrier different from another height, so that a first side of the substrate carrier along a first direction along a film deposition surface of the substrate and a second side of the substrate carrier along the first direction each have a single lowest height; a mask supporting step of supporting the mask in the separated state; a placing step of placing the substrate carrier on the mask by moving at least one of the substrate carrier supported in the carrier supporting step and the mask supported in the mask supporting step so that a seating member arranged at the lowest position on each of the first side and the second side among a plurality of seating members provided on the outer side of a holding surface of the substrate carrier that holds the substrate starts to contact the mask; A mask mounting method comprising the steps of:

23. A mask mounting method for mounting a substrate carrier holding a substrate onto a mask, comprising: a carrier supporting step of supporting a peripheral portion of the first side of the substrate carrier along a first direction along the film deposition surface of the substrate by portions of the plurality of first support parts and the plurality of second support parts that are coated with any of an inorganic material, a fluorine-based coating, a ceramic-based coating, or a DLC coating, by making a height of a portion of a first side of the substrate carrier along a first direction along the film deposition surface of the substrate different from other heights and making a height of a portion of a second side of the substrate carrier along the first direction different from other heights, so that a first side of the substrate carrier along the first direction along the film deposition surface of the substrate and a second side of the substrate carrier along the first direction each have a single lowest height; a mask supporting step of supporting the mask in the separated state; a placing step of placing the substrate carrier on the mask by moving at least one of the substrate carrier supported in the carrier supporting step and the mask supported in the mask supporting step; A mask mounting method comprising the steps of:

24. 1. A mask mounting method for mounting a substrate carrier holding a substrate onto a mask, comprising: a mask supporting step of supporting a peripheral portion of the first side of the mask along a first direction along the film deposition surface of the substrate at a plurality of locations, in such a manner that a first side of the mask along a first direction along the film deposition surface of the substrate and a second side of the mask along the first direction each have a single highest portion; and a carrier supporting step of supporting the substrate carrier in the separated state; a placing step of placing the substrate carrier on the mask by moving at least one of the substrate carrier supported in the carrier supporting step and the mask supported in the mask supporting step so that a seating member, which is located at a position facing the highest portion of each of the first side and the second side of the mask, among a plurality of seating members provided on the outer side of a holding surface of the substrate carrier that holds the substrate, starts to contact the mask; A mask mounting method comprising the steps of:

25. A film forming method, comprising forming a film on a substrate held by the substrate carrier and placed on the mask by the mask placing method according to any one of claims 22 to 24.

26. 26. A method for manufacturing an electronic device, comprising the step of forming an organic film on a substrate by using the film forming method according to claim 25.

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