Film forming apparatus, film forming method, and electronic device manufacturing method

Abstract

To deposit a film by a film deposition method that is less likely to generate a manufacturing defect.SOLUTION: A film deposition unit includes a film deposition source discharging a film deposition material and deposits a film on a substrate while moving. A shutter blocks a scattering of the film deposition material discharged from the film deposition source. A transportation means opens and closes the shutter. The transportation means interlocks a movement of the film deposition unit in a first direction, moves the shutter from a fully closed position to a fully opened position in the first direction, and passes a state where a part of the substrate is covered by the shutter while depositing a film on the substrate by the film deposition unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In the manufacture of organic electroluminescence displays and the like, a deposition material emitted from an evaporation source adheres to the substrate, thereby forming a thin film on the substrate. Patent Document 1 describes a deposition apparatus having a moving evaporation source that deposits deposition on the substrate, a mask stage that supports a mask and the substrate during deposition, and a shutter that opens and closes to control the incidence of deposition material from the evaporation source onto the substrate placed on the mask stage. In this deposition apparatus, deposition on the substrate is performed by the evaporation source passing below the substrate with the shutter that covers the substrate being deposited open. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-196684 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In film formation apparatuses, it is desirable to use a film formation method that is less likely to cause manufacturing defects. For example, if sufficient time is not allotted to align the substrate and the mask, defects due to improper alignment may occur. Furthermore, if the shutter is opened while the substrate and the mask are not aligned, film formation material floating in the chamber may adhere to the substrate, resulting in reduced film thickness uniformity or film formation in areas where film formation is not intended.

[0005] The present invention provides a technique for forming a film by a film forming method that is less likely to cause manufacturing defects. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a film forming unit including a film forming source that emits a film forming material, and that forms a film on a substrate that is aligned with a mask and overlaid on the mask while reciprocating in a moving direction; a first film formation stage on which a film is formed on a first substrate, the first substrate being aligned with the first mask by a first alignment mechanism; a second film formation stage provided alongside the first film formation stage on a second side opposite to the first side in the movement direction of the film formation unit, the second film formation stage performing film formation on a second substrate as the substrate aligned with a second mask by a second alignment mechanism; a first shutter that blocks the film formation material emitted from the film formation source from scattering onto the first substrate; a second shutter that blocks the film formation material emitted from the film formation source from scattering onto the second substrate; a moving means for opening and closing the first shutter between a first fully closed position and a first fully open position, and for opening and closing the second shutter between a second fully closed position and a second fully open position, The moving means moves the second shutter from the second fully open position to the second fully closed position toward the first side in conjunction with movement of the film forming unit toward the first side so that the second shutter does not interfere with the release range of the film forming material from the film forming source, and moves the first shutter from the first fully closed position to the first fully open position toward the first side. The first action is to , In the first operation, During film formation on the first substrate by the film forming unit, the second substrate is covered by the second shutter, and the first substrate is closed by the first shutter. The portion on the side of the second film-forming stage is open, and the portion on the opposite side is goes through a state of being covered, A film forming apparatus characterized by the above features is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, a film can be formed by a film forming method that is less likely to cause manufacturing defects. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view schematically illustrating a configuration of a film formation system in which a film formation apparatus according to an embodiment is provided; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing the configuration of a film forming apparatus. [Figure 3] 3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining the configuration of a film forming unit and the release range of a film forming material from a film forming source. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the film forming apparatus in a film forming process. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the film forming apparatus in a film forming process. [Figure 6] (A) is an overall view of an organic EL display device, and (B) is a diagram showing the cross-sectional structure of one pixel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention claimed. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0010] <Outline of the film deposition system> FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically illustrating the configuration of a film formation system SY in which a film formation apparatus 1 according to one embodiment is installed. The film formation system SY is a system that performs film formation processing on substrates that are carried in and then carries out the processed substrates. For example, a manufacturing line for electronic devices is configured by arranging multiple film formation systems SY side by side. An example of an electronic device is a display panel for an organic EL display device for a smartphone. In addition to the film formation apparatus 1, the film formation system SY includes a carry-in chamber 30, a substrate transfer chamber 32, an unloading chamber 34, and a mask stock chamber 36. The configuration of the film formation apparatus 1 will be described later.

[0011] A substrate 6 to be subjected to film formation by the film formation apparatus 1 is loaded into the loading chamber 30. A transfer robot 320 for transferring the substrate 6 is provided in the substrate transfer chamber 32. The transfer robot 320 transfers the substrate 6 loaded into the loading chamber 30 to the film formation apparatus 1. The transfer robot 320 also transfers the substrate 6 after film formation in the film formation apparatus 1 has been completed to the unloading chamber 34. The substrate 6 transferred to the unloading chamber 34 by the transfer robot 320 is then unloaded from the unloading chamber 34 to the outside of the film formation system SY. When multiple film formation systems SY are arranged side by side, the unloading chamber 34 of the upstream film formation system SY may also serve as the substrate transfer chamber 32 of the downstream film formation system SY. A mask stock chamber 36 stores masks 7 to be used for film formation in the film formation apparatus 1. The masks 7 stored in the mask stock chamber 36 are transferred to the film formation apparatus 1 by the transfer robot 320.

[0012] The interior of the film formation apparatus 1 and each chamber constituting the film formation system SY is maintained in a vacuum state by an exhaust mechanism such as a vacuum pump. In this embodiment, "vacuum" refers to a state filled with gas at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, in other words, a reduced pressure state.

[0013] <Film forming equipment> FIG. 2 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the film forming apparatus 1. The film forming apparatus 1 is a film forming apparatus that forms a film while moving a film forming source 140 relative to a substrate 6. In this embodiment, a film is formed on the substrate 6 by vapor deposition. The substrate material on which vapor deposition is performed in the film forming apparatus 1 can be appropriately selected from glass, resin, metal, etc., and a glass substrate having a resin layer such as polyimide formed thereon is preferably used. Examples of film forming materials include organic materials and inorganic materials (metals, metal oxides, etc.). The film forming apparatus 1 is applicable to manufacturing apparatuses for manufacturing electronic devices such as display devices (flat panel displays, etc.), thin-film solar cells, and organic photoelectric conversion elements (organic thin-film imaging elements), as well as optical components, and is particularly applicable to manufacturing apparatuses for manufacturing organic EL panels. The film forming apparatus 1 can form a film on a substrate of any size, such as a G8H size substrate (1100 mm × 2500 mm, 1250 mm × 2200 mm). However, the size of the substrate on which the film forming apparatus 1 forms a film can be appropriately set.

[0014] The film forming apparatus 1 includes a chamber 10, film forming stages 12A and 12B, a film forming unit 14, shutters 16A and 16B, moving units 18A and 18B, and a control unit 20.

[0015] The chamber 10 accommodates the film formation unit 14, shutters 16A and 16B, moving parts 18A and 18B, and film formation stages 12A and 12B in its internal space 101. The internal space 101 of the chamber 10 can be maintained at a vacuum by an exhaust mechanism such as a vacuum pump (not shown). For example, the chamber 10 is provided with an opening (not shown) for loading and unloading the substrate 6, and the substrate 6 is moved to and from the substrate transfer chamber 32 through this opening.

[0016] The film formation stages 12A and 12B are stages where a film is formed on the substrate 6. In this embodiment, the film formation stage 12A and the film formation stage 12B are provided adjacent to each other. In the following description, it is assumed that a film is formed on the substrate 6A in the film formation stage 12A, and a film is formed on the substrate 6B in the film formation stage 12B.

[0017] The film formation stage 12A includes a substrate support 120A, a mask table 122A, a support 124A, and an alignment mechanism 126A.

[0018] The substrate support part 120A supports the substrate 6A. In this embodiment, the substrate support part 120A supports the substrate 6A so that the short sides of the substrate 6A extend in the X direction and the long sides of the substrate 6A extend in the Y direction. The substrate support part 120A supports the edges of the substrate 6A from below. However, the substrate support part 120A may support the substrate 6A by clamping the edges of the substrate 6A, or by adsorbing the substrate 6A using an electrostatic chuck, an adhesive chuck, or the like. For example, the substrate support part 120A can receive the substrate 6A from the transfer robot 320 in the substrate transfer chamber 32. The substrate support part 120A can be raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism (not shown), and can superimpose the substrate 6A received from the transfer robot 320 on the mask 7A supported by the mask table 122A. A known technique, such as a ball screw mechanism, can be used for the lifting mechanism.

[0019] The mask table 122A supports the mask 7A. The mask table 122A has an opening (not shown) through which the film forming material is scattered onto the film forming surface of the substrate 6A that is placed over the mask 7A. The mask table 122A is supported in the chamber 10 by a support 124A.

[0020] The alignment mechanism 126A aligns the substrate 6A and the mask 7A. The alignment mechanism 126A aligns the substrate 6A supported by the substrate support part 120A and the mask 7A supported by the mask table 122A by adjusting the relative horizontal positions of the substrate support part 120A and the mask table 122A. Since known techniques can be used for aligning the substrate 6A and the mask 7A, a detailed description will be omitted. As an example, the alignment mechanism 126A detects alignment marks formed on the substrate 6A and the mask 7A using a camera (not shown). The alignment mechanism 126A then adjusts the positional relationship between the substrate 6A and the mask 7A so that the relationship between the position of the substrate 6A calculated from the marks formed on the substrate 6A and the position of the mask 7A calculated from the marks formed on the mask 7A satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0021] When alignment by the alignment mechanism 126A is completed, the substrate support part 120A overlays the substrate 6A it supports on the mask 7A. With the substrate 6A and the mask 7A overlaid, the film deposition unit 14 deposits a film on the substrate 6A.

[0022] The film formation stage 12B may have the same configuration as the film formation stage 12A. That is, the film formation stage 12B has a substrate support 120B, a mask table 122B, columns 124B, and an alignment mechanism 126B, which correspond to the substrate support 120A, the mask table 122A, the columns 124A, and the alignment mechanism 126A, respectively.

[0023] Please also refer to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the film forming unit 14 and the release range of the film forming material from the film forming source 140. The release range of the film forming material will be described later.

[0024] The film forming unit 14 discharges a film forming material while moving to form a film on the substrate 6. In this embodiment, the film forming unit 14 includes a film forming source 140 and a moving part 142.

[0025] The film formation source 140 emits a film formation material. In this embodiment, the film formation source 140 includes a plurality of storage units 1401a to 1401c that store the film formation material, a plurality of emission units 1402a to 1402c that are provided in the storage units 1401a to 1401c, respectively, and that emit the evaporated film formation material, and a demarcation unit 1403 that defines a range in which the film formation material is emitted.

[0026] The film formation materials contained in the containers 1401a to 1401c are heated and evaporated by heaters (not shown) and then discharged from the discharge sections 1402a to 1402c into the internal space 101 of the chamber 10. In this embodiment, the containers 1401a to 1401c are arranged side by side in the movement direction (X direction) of the film formation unit 14. For example, the containers 1401a to 1401c may contain different film formation materials. This allows for co-evaporation of multiple film formation materials onto the substrate 6. Note that, for example, a sheathed heater using an electric heating wire can be used as the heater for heating the film formation materials contained in the containers 1401a to 1401c. In this embodiment, three containers 1401a to 1401c are arranged side by side in the X direction, but the number of containers can be changed as appropriate. For example, the number of containers may be one, two, or four or more.

[0027] The discharge portions 1402a to 1402c are cylindrical members through which the film forming material evaporated in the storage portions 1401a to 1401c can pass. The discharge portions 1402a to 1402c may be openings or the like formed on the upper surfaces of the storage portions 1401a to 1401c. In this embodiment, a plurality of storage portions 1401a are arranged side by side in a direction (Y direction) intersecting the movement direction of the film forming unit 14. The same is true for the storage portions 1401b and 1401c.

[0028] The demarcating portion 1403 defines a release range of the film formation material released from the release portions 1402a to 1402c. The demarcating portion 1403 includes a plurality of plate-shaped members 1403a to 1403d arranged from the positive side to the negative side in the X direction. The plate-shaped member 1403a is provided on the positive side of the X direction from the release portion 1402a. The plate-shaped member 1403b is provided between the release portions 1402a and 1402b in the X direction. The plate-shaped member 1403c is provided between the release portions 1402b and 1402c in the X direction. The plate-shaped member 1403d is provided on the negative side of the X direction from the release portion 1402c.

[0029] The moving unit 142 moves the film formation source 140. In this embodiment, the moving unit 142 moves the film formation source 140 back and forth in the direction (X direction) in which the multiple film formation stages 12A and 12B are arranged. Known technology can be used for the moving unit 142. In this embodiment, the moving unit 142 is a linear guide including a moving body 1421 on which the film formation source 140 is placed, a rolling body 1422 rotatably supported by the moving body 1421, and a driving unit (not shown). That is, when driven by a driving unit (not shown), such as a ball screw mechanism, the moving body 1421 moves along a rail 102 provided on the floor of the chamber 10 via the rolling body 1422. With this configuration, the moving mechanism for the film formation source 140 is composed of a single axis, thereby simplifying the mechanism within the chamber 10.

[0030] The shutter 16A prevents the film formation material discharged from the film formation source 140 from scattering onto the substrate 6A. Specifically, the shutter 16A is disposed below the film formation stage 12A and prevents the film formation material discharged from the film formation source 140 located further below from scattering onto the substrate 6A on the film formation stage 12A. More specifically, the shutter 16A is disposed below the film formation stage 12A and at a position closer to the film formation surface of the substrate 6A on the film formation stage 12A in the vertical direction (Z direction) than the discharge unit 1402 of the film formation source 140. The shutter 16A is configured to be openable and closable by a moving unit 18A. The shutter 16B has a similar configuration to the shutter 16A and will not be described here. However, as will be described in detail later, the shutter 16B moves in the opposite direction to the shutter 16A when opening and closing.

[0031] The movable unit 18A moves the shutter 16A to open and close it. Here, the movable unit 18A can slide the shutter 16A between a fully closed position PA1 and a fully open position PA2 (see FIG. 4). In this embodiment, the fully closed position PA1 is a position of the shutter 16A where the entire substrate 6A fits within the area surrounded by the outer edge of the shutter 16A in a plan view. The fully open position PA2 is a position of the shutter 16A where no part of the substrate 6A fits within the area surrounded by the outer edge of the shutter 16A in a plan view.

[0032] The moving unit 18A can be configured using known technology, and for example, a mechanism that converts the rotational motion of a drive source such as a motor into translational motion, such as a rack-and-pinion mechanism or an electric cylinder, can be used. As an example, Fig. 2 shows a configuration in which a pinion 182A rotated by a motor 181A meshes with a rack (not shown) provided on the shutter 16A, causing the shutter 16A to move along a guide 183A. Similar to moving unit 18A, moving unit 18B includes a motor 181B, a pinion 182B, a rack (not shown), and a guide 183B.

[0033] The shutter 16B and the moving section 18B have the same configuration as the shutter 16A and the moving section 18A, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. However, as will be described in detail later, the direction of movement of the shutter 16B when opening and closing is opposite to that of the shutter 16A.

[0034] The control unit 20 controls the operation of each component of the film forming apparatus 1. For example, the control unit 20 may be configured to include a processor such as a CPU, memories such as RAM and ROM, and various interfaces. For example, the control unit 20 reads out a program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executes it, thereby realizing various processes by the film forming apparatus 1. For example, the control unit 20 executes various processes such as film formation processes based on instructions received from a host computer that comprehensively controls the film forming system SY. Note that it is also possible to employ an embodiment in which the host computer that comprehensively controls the film forming system SY directly controls the operation of each component of the film forming apparatus 1.

[0035] <Deposition range of evaporation source> The release range of the film forming material from the film forming source 140 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 shows the release range R1 of the film forming material from the film forming source 140 in the movement direction (X direction) of the film forming unit 14. In this embodiment, the release range R1 is determined by the positional relationship between the release portions 1402a to 1402c of the film forming source 140 and the plate-like members 1403a and 1403d of the defining portion 1403.

[0036] Specifically, the range between an imaginary line VL1 passing through the tip of the release portion 1402a and the upper end of the plate-like member 1403a and an imaginary line VL2 passing through the tip of the release portion 1402c and the upper end of the plate-like member 1403d is the release range R1. Although there may be film forming material scattered outside the geometrically defined release range R1, the geometrically defined range is referred to as the release range R1 here.

[0037] <Example of operation> 4 and 5 are explanatory diagrams illustrating the operation of the film formation process of the film formation apparatus 1. In this embodiment, the film formation unit 14 forms a film on a substrate while moving back and forth in the X direction below the film formation stages 12A and 12B. The film formation unit 14 forms a film on each substrate by moving back and forth in the X direction below each substrate. In other words, the film formation unit 14 forms a film on each substrate while moving twice: once while moving in the positive X direction and once while moving in the negative X direction. Hereinafter, the first film formation on each substrate may be referred to as forward film formation and the second film formation on each substrate may be referred to as backward film formation. In this embodiment, as will be described later, the film formation on substrate 6A is performed in the opposite direction to the film formation on substrate 6B in the forward direction. The same applies to the backward direction.

[0038] 4 and 5, the film formation unit 14 moves from position POS1 at the end on the negative side of the X direction to position POS2 at the end on the positive side, then turns back and moves again to position POS2. During this time, the film formation unit 14 sequentially performs film formation in the backward direction on the first substrate 6B, film formation in the forward direction on the substrate 6A, film formation in the backward direction on the substrate 6A, and film formation in the forward direction on the second substrate 6B. That is, state ST1 in FIG. 4 is a state after film formation in the forward direction has already been performed on the first substrate 6B.

[0039] In state ST1, the film formation unit 14 is located at position POS1, which is the end position on the negative side in the X direction. At this time, the shutter 16B corresponding to the film formation stage 12B is located at a fully open position PB2, and the shutter 16A corresponding to the film formation stage 12A is located at a fully closed position PA1. In addition, in the film formation stage 12A, operations such as replacing a substrate on which a film has already been formed with a substrate on which a film will be formed next and aligning a newly loaded substrate can be performed.

[0040] In state ST2, the film formation unit 14 is moving in the forward X direction while forming a film in the backward direction on the first substrate 6B on the film formation stage 12B. At this time, the moving part 18B moves the shutter 16B in the forward X direction behind the film formation unit 14 in the traveling direction so as not to interfere with the release range R1 of the film formation source 140. In addition, the shutter 16A remains in the fully closed position PA1.

[0041] In state ST3, the film forming unit 14 is moving in the positive X-direction while forming a film on the substrate 6A on the film forming stage 12A. In state ST3, the shutter 16A covers a portion of the substrate 6A, and the film forming unit 14 forms a film on the portion of the substrate 6A that is not covered by the shutter 16A. At this time, the moving part 18A moves the shutter 16A in the positive X-direction from the fully closed position PA1 toward the fully open position PA2. In this embodiment, the moving part 18A moves the shutter 16A while maintaining the relative positional relationship between the film forming stage 12A and the shutter 16A in the X-direction. In other words, the moving part 18A moves the shutter 16A at the same speed as the film forming unit 14 during at least a portion of the movement of the shutter 16A from the fully closed position PA1 to the fully open position PA2.

[0042] Here, the timing at which the moving unit 18A starts moving the shutter 16A may be determined by the positional relationship between the release range R1 and the shutter 16A in the X direction. For example, the moving unit 18A may start moving the shutter 16A in response to the release range R1 approaching the film formation stage 12A. More specifically, the moving unit 18A may start moving the shutter 16A when, at the height of the shutter 16A, a predetermined distance is reached between the end of the shutter 16A at the fully closed position PA1 on the film formation stage 12B side (the negative side in the X direction) and the release range R1. Here, the predetermined distance may be, for example, a value between 0 mm and 200 mm. Alternatively, for example, the predetermined distance may be 1 / n of the length of the substrate 6B in the X direction (for example, n is 4 or greater).

[0043] The relative positional relationship between the shutter 16A and the film forming unit 14 during the movement of the shutter 16A may be such that the shutter 16A and the film forming unit 14 are spaced apart in the X direction by the above-mentioned predetermined distance. Alternatively, taking into consideration the time it takes for the shutter 16A to reach the same speed as the film forming unit 14, the shutter 16A and the film forming unit 14 may be spaced apart in the X direction by a distance shorter than the above-mentioned predetermined distance.

[0044] During the transition from state ST2 to state ST3, film formation on substrate 6A may begin after film formation on substrate 6B is completed, or film formation on substrate 6A may begin before film formation on substrate 6B is completed. For example, film formation on the end of substrate 6B on the positive side in the X direction and film formation on the end of substrate 6A on the negative side in the X direction may be performed simultaneously. From another perspective, there may be a period during which shutters 16A and 16B simultaneously move in the positive direction in the X direction.

[0045] In this embodiment, the moving part 18A moves the shutter 16A from the fully closed position PA1 to the fully open position PA2 in conjunction with the movement of the film forming unit 14 in the positive X direction. Then, while the film forming unit 14 is forming a film on the substrate 6A, the shutter 16A partially covers the substrate 6A. That is, film formation on the substrate 6A does not begin until the shutter 16A reaches the fully open position PA2. Instead, film formation on the substrate 6A by the film forming unit 14 begins in parallel with the opening of the shutter 16A. This reduces the time during which the shutter 16A is open and the substrate 6A is exposed before film formation on the substrate 6A begins. This ensures a longer alignment time for the substrate 6A when the shutter 16A is closed. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent film forming material scattered outside the release range R1 from unintentionally adhering to the substrate 6A. This prevents defects due to improper alignment or unintentional adhesion of film forming material.

[0046] It is also possible to perform alignment with the shutter 16A open. However, performing alignment with the shutter 16A open may result in unnecessary deposition material getting behind the mask 7A. Furthermore, there is a risk that the deposition material may adhere to the substrate with the mask not aligned, or to the mechanical components of the alignment mechanism 126A or the substrate support 120A. These events may also lead to poor alignment or deposition. In this embodiment, by ensuring a longer alignment time with the shutter 16A closed, it is possible to ensure a more appropriate alignment time. Here, it is desirable to start substrate replacement with the shutter 16A closed.

[0047] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the moving part 18A moves the shutter 16A while maintaining the relative positional relationship between the shutter 16A and the film forming unit 14, and therefore it is possible to maintain the distance between the release range R1 and the shutter 16A. That is, it is possible to prevent the shutter 16A from interfering with the release range R1 during film formation by the film forming unit 14, or to prevent the distance between the release range R1 and the shutter 16A from becoming too large.

[0048] Now, since film formation on the first substrate 6B is completed, in the film formation stage 12B, substrate replacement and alignment of a newly loaded substrate are performed between states ST3 and ST5. That is, after the first substrate 6B is unloaded from the film formation stage 12B, the second substrate 6B is loaded into the film formation stage 12B. Then, alignment between the substrate 6B and the mask 7B is performed by the alignment mechanism 126B.

[0049] State ST4 is a state in which the film forming unit 14 has reached position POS2 at the end on the positive side of the X direction. That is, state ST4 is a state in which film formation in the forward direction on the substrate 6A has been completed. The shutter 16A is located at the fully open position PA2. The shutter 16B is located at the fully closed position PB1. In the film forming stage 12B, replacement and alignment operations for the substrate 6B can be performed.

[0050] In state ST5, the film forming unit 14 is moving in the negative X-direction while forming a film on the substrate 6A of the film forming stage 12A in the backward direction. At this time, the moving part 18A moves the shutter 16A in the negative X-direction from the fully open position PA2 toward the fully closed position PA1. The moving part 18A also moves the shutter 16A in the negative X-direction behind the film forming unit 14 in the traveling direction so as not to interfere with the release range R1 of the film forming source 140. The shutter 16B remains in the fully closed position PB1. The substrate 6B replacement and alignment operations in the film forming stage 12B are completed by the time the release range R1 of the film forming unit 14 reaches the film forming stage 12B. In other words, the exchange and alignment of the substrate 6B in the film formation stage 12B is completed before the moving part 18B starts to move the shutter 16B from the fully closed position PB1 to the fully open position PB2 for film formation on the substrate 6B.

[0051] Thus, in this embodiment, alignment of the second substrate 6B and mask 7B by alignment mechanism 126B begins while film formation on substrate 6A by film formation unit 14, and is completed by the time when moving part 18B starts to move shutter 16B from fully closed position PB1 to the negative side in the X direction. Therefore, the time for film formation on substrate 6A can be allocated to the time for aligning substrate 6B, allowing for efficient film formation processing.

[0052] In state ST6, the film formation unit 14 is moving in the negative X-direction while forming a film on the second substrate 6B on the film formation stage 12B. At this time, the moving part 18B moves the shutter 16B in the negative X-direction from the fully closed position PB1 toward the fully open position PB2. The shutter 16A is also positioned at the fully closed position PA1. Now that film formation on the substrate 6A has been completed, the film formation stage 12A begins replacing the substrate and aligning the newly loaded substrate.

[0053] Thus, in this embodiment, not only in the case of the substrate 6A, but also in the case of the substrate 6B, a state in which a portion of the substrate 6B is covered by the shutter 16B during film formation by the film formation unit 14 occurs. Therefore, in the case where a plurality of film formation stages 12A, 12B are provided in the chamber 10, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of defects in the film formation process.

[0054] Furthermore, when states ST4 to ST6 are viewed from another perspective, while the film forming unit 14 moves from position POS2 to position POS1, the moving part 18A first starts to move the shutter 16A from the fully open position PA2 to the fully closed position PA1. Then, as the release range R1 approaches the film forming stage 12B, the moving part 18B starts to move the shutter 16B from the fully closed position PB1 to the fully open position PB2. In this way, the multiple shutters 16A, 16B move in conjunction with the movement of the film forming unit 14 in one direction.

[0055] A specific example of the timing at which the moving unit 18B starts moving the shutter 16B is when, at the height of the shutter 16B, the end of the shutter 16B at the fully closed position PB1 on the film formation stage 12A side (positive side in the X direction) is a predetermined distance from the release range R1. Here, the predetermined distance may be, for example, a value between 0 mm and 200 mm. Alternatively, the predetermined distance may be, for example, 1 / n of the length of the substrate 6B in the X direction (where n is 4 or greater).

[0056] After state ST6, the state returns to state ST1 again. Then, film formation is performed sequentially on the substrates, such as film formation in the backward direction on the second substrate 6B, and film formation in the forward direction on the second substrate 6A.

[0057] As described above, according to this embodiment, the moving part 18A moves the shutter 16A from the fully closed position PA1 to the fully open position PA2 in conjunction with the movement of the film forming unit 14, and the substrate 6A goes through a state in which a portion of the substrate 6A is covered by the shutter 16A while a film is being formed on the substrate 6A by the film forming unit 14. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time during which the shutter 16A is open and the substrate 6A is exposed before film formation on the substrate 6A starts, and it is possible to perform film formation using a film formation method that is less likely to cause manufacturing defects.

[0058] In this embodiment, the chamber 10 is provided with two film formation stages 12A and 12B, but a configuration in which the chamber 10 has only one film formation stage is also possible. Even in this case, the time the substrate is exposed can be reduced compared to when the film formation unit starts forming a film on the substrate after the shutter has moved to the fully open position. This can prevent the film formation material from unintentionally adhering to the substrate. Furthermore, compared to when the film formation unit starts forming a film on the substrate after the shutter has moved to the fully open position, the waiting time for the shutter to open and close is shortened, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of the film formation material.

[0059] In this embodiment, the film formation unit 14 forms a film on the substrate by making one round trip below each substrate, but film formation in the forward direction only, or film formation in one and a half round trips or more, can also be employed. Furthermore, in the case of two round trips, for example, the moving part 18A may move the shutter 16A in conjunction with the movement of the film formation unit 14 only during film formation in the forward direction on the first round trip and in the backward direction on the second round trip. Alternatively, the moving part 18A may move the shutter 16A in conjunction with the movement of the film formation unit 14 both during film formation in the backward direction on the first round trip and in the forward direction on the second round trip.

[0060] <Electronic device manufacturing method> Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an electronic device will be described. Below, as an example of an electronic device, the configuration and manufacturing method of an organic EL display device will be illustrated. In this example, a plurality of film formation systems SY shown in FIG. 1 are provided on a manufacturing line.

[0061] First, the organic EL display device to be manufactured will be described. Fig. 6(A) is an overall view of an organic EL display device 50, and Fig. 6(B) is a diagram showing the cross-sectional structure of one pixel.

[0062] 6(A), a plurality of pixels 52, each including a plurality of light-emitting elements, are arranged in a matrix in a display region 51 of an organic EL display device 50. As will be described in detail later, each of the light-emitting elements has a structure including an organic layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes.

[0063] The term "pixel" as used herein refers to the smallest unit capable of displaying a desired color in the display region 51. In the case of a color organic EL display device, a pixel 52 is configured by a combination of multiple sub-pixels, each of which is a first light-emitting element 52R, a second light-emitting element 52G, and a third light-emitting element 52B, each of which emits light differently from one another. The pixel 52 is often configured by a combination of three types of sub-pixels: a red (R) light-emitting element, a green (G) light-emitting element, and a blue (B) light-emitting element, but is not limited to this. The pixel 52 may include at least one type of sub-pixel, preferably two or more types of sub-pixels, and more preferably three or more types of sub-pixels. The sub-pixels that make up the pixel 52 may be a combination of four types of sub-pixels: a red (R) light-emitting element, a green (G) light-emitting element, a blue (B) light-emitting element, and a yellow (Y) light-emitting element, for example.

[0064] Figure 6(B) is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram taken along line AB in Figure 6(A). A pixel 52 has, on a substrate 53, multiple sub-pixels each composed of an organic EL element including a first electrode (anode) 54, a hole transport layer 55, one of a red layer 56R, a green layer 56G, and a blue layer 56B, an electron transport layer 57, and a second electrode (cathode) 58. Of these, the hole transport layer 55, the red layer 56R, the green layer 56G, the blue layer 56B, and the electron transport layer 57 correspond to organic layers. The red layer 56R, the green layer 56G, and the blue layer 56B are formed in patterns corresponding to light-emitting elements (sometimes referred to as organic EL elements) that emit red, green, and blue light, respectively.

[0065] 6B , the hole transport layer 55 may be formed as a common layer across the plurality of sub-pixel regions, and the red layer 56R, the green layer 56G, and the blue layer 56B may be formed separately for each sub-pixel region on the hole transport layer 55. The electron transport layer 57 and the second electrode 58 may be formed separately for each sub-pixel region on the hole transport layer 55. The electron transport layer 57 and the second electrode 58 may be formed as a common layer across the plurality of sub-pixel regions on the hole transport layer 55.

[0066] In order to prevent short circuits between adjacent first electrodes 54, an insulating layer 59 is provided between the first electrodes 54. Furthermore, since the organic EL layer deteriorates due to moisture and oxygen, a protective layer 60 is provided to protect the organic EL element from moisture and oxygen.

[0067] 6(B), the hole transport layer 55 and the electron transport layer 57 are shown as a single layer, but they may be formed of multiple layers including a hole blocking layer and an electron blocking layer depending on the structure of the organic EL display element. Furthermore, a hole injection layer having an energy band structure that can smoothly inject holes from the first electrode 54 to the hole transport layer 55 may be formed between the first electrode 54 and the hole transport layer 55. Similarly, an electron injection layer may be formed between the second electrode 58 and the electron transport layer 57.

[0068] Each of the red layer 56R, green layer 56G, and blue layer 56B may be formed of a single light-emitting layer or may be formed by laminating multiple layers. For example, the red layer 56R may be formed of two layers, with the upper layer being a red light-emitting layer and the lower layer being a hole-transporting layer or an electron-blocking layer. Alternatively, the lower layer may be a red light-emitting layer and the upper layer being an electron-transporting layer or a hole-blocking layer. By providing a layer below or above the light-emitting layer in this manner, the light-emitting position in the light-emitting layer can be adjusted, and the optical path length can be adjusted, thereby improving the color purity of the light-emitting element.

[0069] Although the example of the red layer 56R is shown here, a similar structure may be adopted for the green layer 56G or the blue layer 56B. The number of layers may be two or more. Furthermore, layers of different materials may be stacked, such as a light-emitting layer and an electron-blocking layer, or layers of the same material may be stacked, such as two or more light-emitting layers.

[0070] Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an organic EL display device will be specifically described. Here, it is assumed that the red layer 56R is made up of two layers, a lower layer 56R1 and an upper layer 56R2, and the green layer 56G and the blue layer 56B are made up of a single light-emitting layer.

[0071] First, a substrate 53 is prepared on which a circuit (not shown) for driving the organic EL display device and a first electrode 54 are formed. The material of the substrate 53 is not particularly limited, and it can be made of glass, plastic, metal, etc. In this embodiment, a substrate in which a polyimide film is laminated on a glass substrate is used as the substrate 53.

[0072] A resin layer such as acrylic or polyimide is coated by bar coating or spin coating on the substrate 53 on which the first electrode 54 is formed, and the resin layer is patterned by lithography so as to form an opening in the area where the first electrode 54 is formed, thereby forming an insulating layer 59. This opening corresponds to the light-emitting region from which the light-emitting element actually emits light. In this embodiment, the large substrate is processed up to the formation of the insulating layer 59, and after the insulating layer 59 is formed, a dividing step is carried out to divide the substrate 53.

[0073] The substrate 53 with the patterned insulating layer 59 is carried into the first film forming apparatus 1, and a hole transport layer 55 is formed as a common layer on the first electrodes 54 in the display area. The hole transport layer 55 is formed using a mask in which an opening is formed for each display area 51 that will ultimately become the panel portion of each organic EL display device.

[0074] Next, the substrate 53 on which the hole transport layer 55 has been formed is carried into the second film formation apparatus 1. The substrate 53 and a mask are aligned, and the substrate is placed on the mask. A red layer 56R is formed on the hole transport layer 55 in the portion of the substrate 53 where the red-emitting elements are to be arranged (the region where the red subpixels are to be formed). The mask used in the second film formation chamber is a high-definition mask with openings formed only in the regions that will become the red subpixels among the regions on the substrate 53 that will become the subpixels of the organic EL display device. As a result, the red layer 56R including the red light-emitting layer is formed only in the regions that will become the red subpixels among the regions on the substrate 53 that will become the red subpixels. In other words, the red layer 56R is selectively formed in the regions that will become the red subpixels, but not in the regions that will become the blue or green subpixels among the regions on the substrate 53 that will become the subpixels.

[0075] Similar to the formation of the red layer 56R, the green layer 56G is formed in the third film formation apparatus 1, and then the blue layer 56B is formed in the fourth film formation apparatus 1. After the formation of the red layer 56R, green layer 56G, and blue layer 56B is completed, the electron transport layer 57 is formed over the entire display area 51 in the fifth film formation apparatus 1. The electron transport layer 57 is formed as a layer common to the three color layers 56R, 56G, and 56B.

[0076] The substrate on which the layers up to the electron transport layer 57 have been formed is moved to the sixth film formation apparatus 1, where the second electrode 58 is formed. In this embodiment, the first to sixth film formation apparatuses 1 form each layer by vacuum deposition. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the second electrode 58 in the sixth film formation apparatus 1 may be formed by sputtering. Thereafter, the substrate on which the layers up to the second electrode 58 have been formed is moved to a sealing apparatus, and the protective layer 60 is formed by plasma CVD (sealing step), thereby completing the organic EL display device 50. Note that although the protective layer 60 is formed by the CVD method here, the method is not limited thereto, and the protective layer 60 may also be formed by the ALD method or the inkjet method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 1: film forming device, 10: evaporation source unit, 12: evaporation source, 100: substrate, 101: mask

Claims

1. a film forming unit including a film forming source that emits a film forming material, and that forms a film on a substrate that is aligned with a mask and overlaid on the mask while reciprocating in a moving direction; a first film formation stage on which a film is formed on a first substrate, the first substrate being aligned with the first mask by a first alignment mechanism; a second film formation stage provided alongside the first film formation stage on a second side opposite to the first side in the movement direction of the film formation unit, the second film formation stage performing film formation on a second substrate as the substrate aligned with a second mask by a second alignment mechanism; a first shutter that blocks the film formation material emitted from the film formation source from scattering onto the first substrate; a second shutter that blocks the film formation material emitted from the film formation source from scattering onto the second substrate; a moving means for opening and closing the first shutter between a first fully closed position and a first fully open position, and for opening and closing the second shutter between a second fully closed position and a second fully open position; the moving means performs a first operation of moving the second shutter from the second fully open position to the second fully closed position toward the first side in conjunction with movement of the film forming unit toward the first side so that the second shutter does not interfere with a release range of the film forming material from the film forming source, and moving the first shutter from the first fully closed position to the first fully open position toward the first side; In the first operation, during film formation on the first substrate by the film formation unit, the second substrate is covered by the second shutter, and the first shutter goes through a state in which a portion of the first substrate on the side of the second film formation stage is opened and a portion on the opposite side is covered. A film forming apparatus characterized by:

2. 2. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, the moving means performs a second operation of moving the first shutter from the first fully open position to the first fully closed position toward the second side in conjunction with the movement of the film forming unit toward the second side, and moving the second shutter from the second fully closed position to the second fully open position toward the second side; in the second operation, during film formation on the second substrate by the film formation unit, the first substrate is covered by the first shutter, and the second shutter opens a portion of the second substrate on the side of the first film formation stage and covers a portion on the opposite side. A film forming apparatus characterized by:

3. 3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 2, the film forming unit forms a film on the first substrate while moving to the first side, and then forms a film on the first substrate and the second substrate while moving to the second side; the moving means moves the first shutter from the first fully open position to the first fully closed position toward the second side in conjunction with movement of the film formation unit toward the second side, and moves the second shutter from the second fully closed position to the second fully open position toward the second side in response to a release range of the film formation material from the film formation source of the film formation unit moving toward the second side approaching the second film formation stage. A film forming apparatus characterized by:

4. 3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 2, the moving means starts to move the second shutter toward the second side in a state where, at the height of the second shutter, there is a predetermined distance between an end of the second shutter at the second fully closed position on the side of the first film formation stage and a release range of the film formation material from the film formation source. A film forming apparatus characterized by:

5. 2. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, alignment of the second substrate and the second mask by the second alignment mechanism is started during film deposition on the first substrate by the film deposition unit, and is completed by the time the moving means starts to move the second shutter from the second fully closed position to the second side. A film forming apparatus characterized by:

6. a film formation unit including a film formation source that releases a film formation material and that reciprocates in a movement direction, wherein alignment with a first mask is performed by a first alignment mechanism of a first film formation stage, and a film is formed on a first substrate that is superimposed on the first mask using the first mask while moving to a first side in the movement direction, and wherein alignment with a second mask is performed by a second alignment mechanism of a second film formation stage that is provided alongside the first film formation stage on a second side that is opposite to the first side in the movement direction of the film formation unit of the first film formation stage, and a film is formed on a second substrate that is superimposed on the second mask using the second mask while moving to the first side in the movement direction; a first operation of moving a second shutter, which blocks the film formation material released from the film formation source from scattering onto the second substrate, from a second fully open position to a second fully closed position toward the first side in conjunction with movement of the film formation unit toward the first side so that the second shutter does not interfere with a release range of the film formation material from the film formation source, and moving a first shutter, which blocks the film formation material released from the film formation source from scattering onto the first substrate, from a first fully closed position to a first fully open position toward the first side, In the first operation, during film formation on the first substrate by the film formation unit, the second substrate is covered by the second shutter, and the first shutter goes through a state in which a portion of the first substrate on the side of the second film formation stage is opened and a portion on the opposite side is covered. A film forming method characterized by:

7. A method for manufacturing an electronic device, comprising the step of forming a film on a substrate by the film forming method according to claim 6.

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