Film forming apparatus and material supply device used therein

Abstract

The apparatus includes a film-forming chamber (2) in which at least a film-forming material (M) and a film-forming object (S) are provided and which can be set to a predetermined film-forming atmosphere in order to supply an appropriate amount of material to the capacity of the hearth liner, a hearth liner (23) provided inside the film-forming chamber and containing the film-forming material, a heat source (24) provided inside the film-forming chamber and heating the film-forming material contained in the hearth liner, a material supplier (3) for supplying the film-forming material to the hearth liner, a height gauge (4) for measuring the height of the molten surface of the film-forming material contained in the hearth liner, and a controller (6) for calculating the mass of the film-forming material to be supplied based on the height of the molten surface measured by the height gauge and controlling the material supplier to supply the calculated mass of film-forming material to the hearth liner.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus and a material supplying device used therein, and more particularly to a film forming apparatus suitable for applying a vacuum deposition method. [Background technology]

[0002] A known example of this type of film formation apparatus is one that includes a film formation chamber that can be set to a predetermined film formation atmosphere, a hearth liner that contains the film formation material, a heat source that heats the film formation material contained in the hearth liner, a material filling section that is filled with the film formation material to be supplied to the hearth liner and is connected to the film formation chamber via a communicating passage having a gate valve, a material supply chamber that can be set to a predetermined pressure atmosphere, and a weight measuring device that measures the weight of the film formation material supplied to the hearth liner (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6959680 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] According to the above-mentioned conventional technology, the weight of the film forming material supplied to the hearth liner can be measured by a weight measuring device. However, even if the weight of the film forming material supplied to the hearth liner is known, the amount of the film forming material supplied may not be appropriate. For example, if the amount of the material supplied is too small compared to the capacity of the hearth liner at the time of supply, the material may run short during film formation, and the electron beam, which is the heating source, may overheat the hearth liner, which may cause particles to be generated. In addition, if the amount of the material supplied is too large, the material may overflow from the hearth liner, and if the material overflows from the hearth liner, it will be discarded, which results in high material costs.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a film forming apparatus capable of supplying an appropriate amount of material to the capacity of a hearth liner, and a material supply device used therein. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention solves the above problem by measuring the height of the molten surface of the film-forming material contained in a hearth liner, calculating the mass of film-forming material to be supplied based on the measured height of the molten surface, and controlling a material supplier to supply the calculated mass of film-forming material to the hearth liner. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the height of the molten surface of the film-forming material contained in the hearth liner is measured to determine the volume of the film-forming material that is insufficient relative to the volume of the hearth liner, and the mass of the film-forming material that is insufficient is determined from the volume of the film-forming material that is insufficient and the specific gravity of the film-forming material. By controlling the material supply device so that the film-forming material of the determined mass of insufficiency is supplied to the hearth liner, it is possible to supply an appropriate amount of material relative to the volume of the hearth liner. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram including a vertical sectional view of a main part of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. [Figure 3A] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a first example of the material supplier of FIG. 1. [Figure 3B] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a second example of the material supplier of FIG. 1. [Figure 3C] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a third example of the material supplier of FIG. 1. [Figure 4A] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a dispersion member provided in the nozzle of FIG. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B is a view taken along the arrow IVB in FIG. 4A. [Figure 4C] FIG. 4B is a view taken along an arrow IVC in FIG. 4A. [Diagram 5]FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing the height measuring device of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 2 is a flowchart showing main processing executed by a controller in FIG. 1; [Figure 7] 7 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of step S4 in FIG. 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram including a vertical cross-sectional view of a main part showing a film forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same. The film forming apparatus of the present invention can be typically embodied as a vacuum deposition apparatus, so that the film forming apparatus 1 using a vacuum deposition method will be described below as an embodiment of the present invention. However, the film forming apparatus of the present invention is not intended to be limited only to a vacuum deposition apparatus using a vacuum deposition method, but is a film forming apparatus in a broad sense including film forming apparatuses other than vacuum deposition apparatuses.

[0010] <<Overall configuration of film forming apparatus 1>> The film forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a film forming chamber 2 in which at least a film forming material M and a film forming object S are provided and which can be set to a predetermined film forming atmosphere. The film forming chamber 2 is provided with an exhaust device 21 via a gate valve 21a, and the inside of the film forming chamber 2 can be set to a vacuum atmosphere suitable for deposition processing, for example, by opening the gate valve 21a to exhaust the gas inside the film forming chamber 2. When the pressure inside the film forming chamber 2 decreases, the mean free path of the film forming material M increases and the evaporation temperature of the film forming material also decreases, facilitating the deposition processing. The exhaust device 21 and the gate valve 21a are controlled by a command signal from a controller 6.

[0011] A deposition target holder 28 for supporting a deposition target S such as a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate, or a plastic substrate is provided hanging down from the ceiling of the deposition chamber 2. Although not intended to be particularly limited, the deposition target holder 28 in this embodiment is made of a plate-like member having a concave spherical surface so that the distance between the hearth liner 23, from which the deposition material M evaporates, and each deposition target S is as uniform as possible. Also, although not intended to be particularly limited, the deposition target holder 28 in this embodiment is made rotatable by a holder drive unit 29 composed of a motor or the like, which also makes the thickness of the film formed on each deposition target S approximately uniform. The holder drive unit 29 is controlled by a command signal from the controller 6.

[0012] A load lock chamber (vacuum spare chamber) 7 is connected to the film formation chamber 2 via a gate valve 71. The inside of this load lock chamber 7 can also be set to the same vacuum atmosphere as the film formation chamber 2 by an exhaust device (not shown) provided in the load lock chamber 7. A door (not shown) is provided in the load lock chamber 7, and access to the outside of the film formation apparatus 1, which has an atmospheric pressure atmosphere, can be achieved via the door.

[0013] The film formation target holder 28 is detachable from the rotating shaft 29a of the holder driving unit 29. When performing the film formation process, the film formation target holder 28 on which the film formation target S is mounted before film formation is held by a robot (not shown) or the like, and is carried from the load lock chamber 7 to the film formation chamber 2 and attached to the rotating shaft 29a of the holder driving unit 29. After the film formation process is completed, the load lock chamber 7 is set to the same vacuum atmosphere as the film formation chamber 2, and then the gate valve 71 is opened, and the film formation target holder 28 on which the film formation target S is mounted after film formation is held by a robot (not shown) or the like, and is carried out from the film formation chamber 2 to the load lock chamber 7. By providing the load lock chamber 7 in this way, the film formation target S can be carried into and out of the film formation chamber 2 while maintaining the vacuum atmosphere of the film formation chamber 2. In addition, the film forming apparatus of the present invention can also be applied to a so-called batch-type film forming apparatus in which the film forming chamber 2 is returned to atmospheric pressure each time a film forming process is completed, and the film forming object holder 28 on which multiple film forming objects S are attached is replaced.

[0014] A hearth holder 22 is supported on the floor inside the film formation chamber 2 so as to be rotatable about an axis 27. This hearth holder 22 can be rotated stepwise around the axis 27 by a predetermined rotation angle by a hearth holder drive unit 26 constituted by a motor or the like, and a rotary encoder (not shown).

[0015] 1 and 2, the hearth holder 22 supports eight hearth liners 23 concentrically, although this is not intended to be limiting. The eight hearth liners 23 are disposed at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction with respect to the axis 27, although this is also not intended to be limiting.

[0016] The hearth liner 23 is a so-called melting furnace crucible in which the film forming material M is charged and heated to melt, and is also called a hearth block or simply a hearth. The hearth liner 23 in this embodiment can be made of, for example, copper, molybdenum, or tungsten, although this is not intended to be a particular limitation. When an electron beam from an electron gun, which is the heating source 24, is irradiated onto the surface of the film forming material M contained in the hearth liner 23 to introduce electrons, a current flows through the hearth liner 23, causing the hearth liner 23 to become red-hot, and the temperature at which the contained film forming material M can evaporate is reached. The hearth holder 22 is made of, for example, copper, although this is not intended to be a particular limitation.

[0017] The heating source 24 is provided inside the film formation chamber 2, and heats and evaporates the film formation material M contained in the hearth liner 23. As the heating source 24, in addition to electron beam heating using an electron gun, resistance heating, high frequency induction heating, and laser beam heating can be used. The heating source 24 of the film formation apparatus 1 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is electron beam heating using an electron gun, and an electron beam is irradiated to one hearth liner 23 located closest to the hearth liner 23 (shown by hatching in FIG. 2; hereinafter, also referred to as evaporation position P1).

[0018] In this embodiment, the film forming material M is charged into the hearth liner 23 in the form of granules, which are melted in the hearth liner 23 by the heating source 24. The types of film forming material M charged into the eight hearth liners 23 may all be the same type of film forming material M, or different types of film forming material M may all be charged. Alternatively, less than eight types of film forming material M may be distributed among the eight hearth liners 23.

[0019] The film forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes, inside the film forming chamber 2, a material supply 3 that supplies the film forming material M to the hearth liner 23, and a height gauge 4 that measures a height h (see FIG. 5) of the molten surface of the film forming material M accommodated in the hearth liner 23. The film forming apparatus 1 also includes a controller 6 that calculates the mass of the film forming material M to be supplied based on the height h of the molten surface measured by the height gauge 4, and controls the material supply 3 to supply the calculated mass of the film forming material M to the hearth liner 23. Note that, although the controller 6 that controls the film forming apparatus 1 and the controller 6 that controls the material supply 3 are configured as a single controller in this embodiment, they may be configured as separate controllers that transmit and receive signals to and from each other.

[0020] Configuration of material supplier 3 Fig. 3A is a diagram showing a first example of the material supplier 3 of this embodiment, Fig. 3B is a diagram showing a second example of the material supplier 3 of this embodiment, and Fig. 3C is a diagram showing a third example of the material supplier 3 of this embodiment. In addition, Fig. 4A is a front view showing a dispersion member provided in a nozzle, Fig. 4B is a view taken along the arrow IVB in Fig. 4A, and Fig. 4C is a view taken along the arrow IVC in Fig. 4A.

[0021] The material supply device 3 of this embodiment is installed so as to supply the film forming material M to one hearth liner 23 at a position P3 (hereinafter also referred to as a material supply position P3) different from the evaporation position P1 in the plan view shown in Fig. 2. In addition, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 2, when the hearth holder 22 rotates counterclockwise, the height gauge 4 of this embodiment is installed so as to measure the height h of the molten surface of the film forming material M for one hearth liner 23 at a position P2 (hereinafter also referred to as a measurement position P2) different from the evaporation position P1 and upstream of the material supply position P3 in the rotation direction.

[0022] Regarding the positional relationship between the measurement position P2 of the molten surface by the height gauge 4 and the supply position P3 by the material supply device 3, there is an advantage in that the rotation distance of the hearth holder 22 from when the height h of the molten surface is measured to when the film formation material M is supplied is reduced if the measurement position P2 is located near the upstream side of the supply position P3 in the rotation direction of the hearth holder 22. However, this is not intended to be a limitation, and the measurement position P2 and the supply position P3 can be set arbitrarily as long as they are at positions other than the evaporation position P1.

[0023] 3A, the material supply device 3 according to the first example of this embodiment includes a hopper 31, a bowl feeder 32, a measuring and supplying mechanism 33, and a nozzle 34. The hopper 31 is a tank that stores the granular film forming material M, and has a shutter (not shown) at an opening at the bottom. When the shutter is opened, the granular film forming material M falls by its own weight into the bowl feeder 32. In a preparation step before starting the film forming process, the film forming chamber 2 is in an air atmosphere, so that a sufficient amount of the granular film forming material M is put into the hopper 31 in this preparation step.

[0024] Bowl feeder 32 is a device that vibrates granular film forming material M fed from hopper 31 into bowl 321, thereby transporting the granular film forming material M toward chute 322 while moving along a spiral guide path (not shown) formed inside bowl 321. Bowl feeder 32 in this embodiment includes a vibrating body such as a piezoelectric element, and while the vibrating body is ON, granular film forming material M is transported toward the chute, and when the vibrating body is OFF, transport of granular film forming material M stops. The ON / OFF control of this vibrating body is performed by controller 6.

[0025] The measuring and supplying mechanism 33 of this embodiment includes a load cell 332 provided on a base 331, a tray 333 for temporarily holding the granular film forming material M supplied from the chute 322, and a partition plate 334 fixed to the film forming apparatus 1 side to prevent the granular film forming material M from spilling from the tray 333. The measuring and supplying mechanism 33 of this embodiment has a function of measuring the mass of the granular film forming material M supplied from the bowl feeder 32 by the load cell 332 while receiving the granular film forming material M in the tray 333, and outputting a signal to stop the supply from the bowl feeder 32 when a predetermined mass is reached.

[0026] The load cell 332 functions as a mass sensor that detects the mass of the tray 333 and the granular film forming material M supplied to the tray 333 and outputs the mass as an electric signal to the controller 6. The load cell 332 and the tray 333 are rotated in the direction indicated by the two-dot chain arrow by a dump mechanism (not shown), causing the granular film forming material M supplied to the tray 333 to fall into the inside of the opening wall 341 of the nozzle 34.

[0027] The tray 333 has a "dustpan" shape with a bottom and three continuous side surfaces, one of which is open, so that when the granular film-forming material M is poured into the tray 333 in the original position shown in Fig. 3A, the film-forming material M may spill from the open side surface. Therefore, when the tray 333 is in the original position, a partition plate 334 is fixed to the film-forming apparatus 1 to cover the open side surface and prevent the film-forming material M from spilling. When the load cell 332 and the tray 333 are rotated in the direction indicated by the two-dot chain arrow, the film-forming material M falls toward the nozzle 34 through the gap between the tray 333 and the partition plate 334, which is fixed in position.

[0028] The nozzle 34 is fixed to the film forming apparatus 1 so as to be located directly above the material supply position P3. In the present embodiment, the nozzle 34 has an opening wall 341 formed at the upper end of the cylindrical body, the opening wall 341 having an opening area larger than the inside of the cylindrical body, thereby preventing the granular film forming material M dropping from the tray 333 from spilling around the upper end of the nozzle 34.

[0029] Further, the nozzle 34 of this embodiment is provided with a dispersion member 342. Fig. 4A is a front view showing the dispersion member provided in the nozzle, Fig. 4B is a view taken along the arrow IVB in Fig. 4A, and Fig. 4C is a view taken along the arrow IVC in Fig. 4A. The dispersion member 342 of this embodiment includes a pair of side plates 342A, 342A, a back plate 342B continuous with the side plates 342A, 342A, a notch 342C formed in the pair of side plates 342A, 342A for fixing to the nozzle 34, and a dispersion body 342D provided at the lower ends of the pair of side plates 342A, 342A and having an upwardly facing conical surface.

[0030] As shown in the IVB arrow view (plan view) of Fig. 4B, the dispersion member 342 of this embodiment is attached to the nozzle 34 so that the dispersion body 342D is located approximately at the center of the nozzle 34. The granular film-forming material M that has fallen from the tray 333 passes through the cylindrical body of the nozzle 34 and falls from the opening at the lower end onto the hearth liner 23. At this time, it is necessary to disperse the granular film-forming material M as evenly as possible around the opening of the hearth liner 23. By providing the dispersion member 342 of this embodiment to the nozzle 34, as shown in the front view of Fig. 3A, the granular film-forming material M that has fallen from above hits the conical surface of the dispersion body 342D and is dispersed in 360-degree directions around it, so that it can be supplied evenly to the opening of the hearth liner 23.

[0031] FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a second example of the material supply device 3 of this embodiment, in which a tray 335 and a dump mechanism 336 are provided instead of the bowl feeder 32 of the material supply device 3 according to the first example shown in FIG. 3A. That is, the material supply device 3 according to the second example of this embodiment includes a hopper 31, a tray 335, a dump mechanism 336 for rotating the tray 335, a measuring and supply mechanism 33, and a nozzle 34, as shown in FIG. 3B. The hopper 31 of this example is a tank that contains the granular film forming material M, as in the first example described above, and a shutter (not shown) is provided at the opening at the bottom. When the shutter is opened, the granular film forming material M falls by its own weight into the bowl feeder 32. In the preparation step before starting the film forming process, the film forming chamber 2 is in an air atmosphere, so in this preparation step, a sufficient amount of the granular film forming material M is put into the hopper 31.

[0032] In this example, the receiving tray 335 receives the granular film-forming material M put into the hopper 31, and at a predetermined timing, it rotates in the direction indicated by the dashed arrow by the dump mechanism 336, causing the granular film-forming material M supplied to the receiving tray 335 to fall into the lower receiving tray 333.

[0033] The measuring and supplying mechanism 33 of this example includes a load cell 332 provided on a base 331, a tray 333 for temporarily holding the granular film forming material M supplied from the chute 322, and a partition plate 334 fixed to the film forming apparatus 1 side to prevent the granular film forming material M from spilling from the tray 333. The measuring and supplying mechanism 33 of this example has a function of measuring the mass of the granular film forming material M supplied from the bowl feeder 32 by the load cell 332 while receiving the granular film forming material M in the tray 333, and outputting a signal to stop the supply from the bowl feeder 32 when a predetermined mass is reached. The measuring and supplying mechanism 33 of this example is similar to that of the first example described above, and therefore the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is incorporated herein by reference.

[0034] The nozzle 34 of this example is fixed to the film forming apparatus 1 so as to be located directly above the material supply position P3. The nozzle 34 of this example has an opening wall 341 formed at the upper end of the cylindrical body, the opening wall having an opening area larger than the inside of the cylindrical body, which prevents the granular film forming material M dropping from the tray 333 from spilling around the upper end of the nozzle 34. The nozzle 34 of this example is also provided with the above-mentioned dispersion member 342. The nozzle 34 of this example is similar to the first example described above, so the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is incorporated herein by reference.

[0035] FIG. 3C is a diagram showing a third example of the material supply device 3 of this embodiment, in which a bowl feeder nozzle 323 is provided instead of the chute 322 of the material supply device 3 according to the first example shown in FIG. 3A, and a linear feeder 337 and a linear feeder nozzle 338 are provided instead of the tray 333 and its dump mechanism. That is, the material supply device 3 according to the third example of this embodiment includes a hopper 31, a bowl feeder 32, a measuring and supplying mechanism 33, and a nozzle 34, as shown in FIG. 3C. The hopper 31 of this example is a tank that contains the granular film forming material M, as in the first example described above, and a shutter (not shown) is provided at the opening at the bottom, and the granular film forming material M falls by its own weight into the bowl feeder 32 by opening the shutter. In the preparation step before starting the film forming process, the film forming chamber 2 is in an air atmosphere, so in this preparation step, a sufficient amount of the granular film forming material M is put into the hopper 31.

[0036] Bowl feeder 32 is a device that vibrates granular film forming material M fed from hopper 31 into bowl 321, thereby transporting the granular film forming material M toward bowl feeder nozzle 323 while moving along a spiral guide path (not shown) formed inside bowl 321. Bowl feeder 32 in this embodiment includes a vibrating body such as a piezoelectric element, and while the vibrating body is ON, granular film forming material M is transported toward bowl feeder nozzle 323, and when the vibrating body is OFF, transport of granular film forming material M stops. The vibrating body is turned ON / OFF by controller 6.

[0037] The measuring and supplying mechanism 33 in this example includes a load cell 332 provided on the linear feeder 337, and a linear feeder nozzle 338 that temporarily holds the granular film forming material M supplied from the bowl feeder nozzle 323. The measuring and supplying mechanism 33 in this example has a function of measuring the mass of the granular film forming material M supplied from the bowl feeder 32 with the load cell 332 while receiving the granular film forming material M with the linear feeder nozzle 338, and outputting a signal to stop supply from the bowl feeder 32 when a predetermined mass is reached.

[0038] The load cell 332 functions as a mass sensor that detects the mass of the linear feeder nozzle 338 and the granular film forming material M supplied to the linear feeder nozzle 338 and outputs the mass as an electric signal to the controller 6. By operating the linear feeder 337 to vibrate the linear feeder nozzle 338, the granular film forming material M supplied to the linear feeder nozzle 338 is caused to fall into the inside of the opening wall 341 of the nozzle 34.

[0039] 《Configuration of height measuring device 4》 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the height measuring device 4 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the height measuring device 4 of this embodiment includes a laser displacement sensor 41 with a built-in camera, and a casing 42 that airtightly surrounds the laser displacement sensor 41 together with a wiring tube 43. An opening 421 that transmits the laser light and ensures the field of view of the camera is formed on the bottom surface of the casing 42, and a glass plate 422 that maintains an airtight state is provided in this opening 421. The wiring 44 of the laser displacement sensor 41 is led out to the outside of the film formation chamber 2 through the wiring tube 43, so that even if the inside of the film formation chamber 2 is made into a vacuum state, the laser displacement sensor 41 and its wiring 44 can be used in an atmospheric pressure atmosphere.

[0040] The laser displacement sensor 41 with a built-in camera irradiates a laser beam toward the opening of the hearth liner 23 at the measurement position P2 and receives the reflected light to measure the height h of the molten surface of the hearth liner 23. The height h of the molten surface here refers to the distance from the bottom surface of the hearth liner 23 to the molten surface. In other words, since the position of the bottom surface of the hearth liner 23 and the height position of the laser displacement sensor 41 at the measurement position P2 are known, the height h of the molten surface can be calculated from the measurement value of the laser displacement sensor 41.

[0041] In addition, the height measuring device of the present invention includes, in addition to the one using the laser displacement sensor 41 shown in FIG. 5, one that measures the height h of the molten surface using other optical means, one that measures the height h of the molten surface from image data acquired using a camera or the like, and a contact-type displacement sensor that measures the height h of the molten surface by contacting a contactor with the molten surface.

[0042] Configuration and Operation Flow of Controller 6 The controller 6 calculates the mass of the film forming material to be supplied based on the height h of the melt surface measured by the height measuring device 4, and controls the material supply device 3 to supply the calculated mass of the film forming material M to the hearth liner 23. That is, the height h of the melt surface of the hearth liner 23 at the measurement position P2 is calculated by the laser displacement sensor 41, so that the volume of the film forming material M remaining on the hearth liner 23 can be calculated. For example, when the hearth liner 23 is a uniform cylindrical container, the height h of the melt surface is proportional to the volume, so that the volume of the remaining film forming material M can be calculated from the height h of the melt surface using this relationship. Also, for example, when the hearth liner 23 is not a container of uniform shape, the relationship of the volume to the height h of the melt surface is obtained in advance, and the volume of the remaining film forming material M can be calculated from the height h of the melt surface using this relationship. Then, when the remaining film forming material M becomes low, the mass of the missing material is calculated from the volume of the missing material and the specific gravity of the material, and the material supply device 3 is controlled to supply the missing weight of granular film forming material M to the hearth liner 23.

[0043] Next, an overview of the film formation process using the film formation apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing main processes executed by the controller 6 of the film formation apparatus 1 of this embodiment. First, when starting the film formation process, in step S1, the gate valve 21a of the film formation chamber 2 is opened and exhausted by the exhaust device 21, thereby creating a predetermined vacuum atmosphere inside the film formation chamber 2.

[0044] Next, in step S2, the film formation target holder 28 on which the multiple film formation targets S before film formation are attached is grasped by a robot or the like (not shown) and carried into the load lock chamber 7, and the inside of the load lock chamber 7 is made into the same vacuum atmosphere as the film formation chamber 2. Then, the gate valve 71 is opened, and the film formation target holder 28 on which the multiple film formation targets S before film formation are attached is carried from the load lock chamber 7 to the film formation chamber 2 by a robot or the like, and is attached to the rotation shaft 29a of the holder driving unit 29, and then the gate valve 71 of the load lock chamber 7 is closed. Note that the order of steps S1 and S2 at the start of film formation may be reversed.

[0045] Next, in step S3, the hearth holder driving unit 26 is driven to move the hearth liner 23, which contains the film formation material M to be evaporated, to the evaporation position P1. Then, while the holder driving unit 29 is driven to rotate the film formation target holder 28 at a predetermined constant speed, the heat source 24 is driven to heat the hearth liner 23 at the evaporation position P1 and evaporate the film formation material M. As a result, the evaporated film formation material M is evaporated onto the film formation target S to form a film.

[0046] In the next step S4, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to supply (replenish) the film formation material M. When film formation processes are continuously performed while maintaining the vacuum state of the film formation chamber 2 or when the type of film formation material M is changed, it is necessary to supply the film formation material, so after performing the material supply described with reference to FIG.

[0047] Fig. 7 is a flow chart showing the subroutine for supplying material in step S4 in Fig. 6. First, in step S401, the hearth holder driving unit 26 is driven to move the hearth liner 23 to which material is to be supplied to the measurement position P2. In the following step S402, the laser displacement sensor 41 irradiates the melt surface of the hearth liner 23 with laser light and receives the reflected light, thereby inputting a measurement value corresponding to the height h of the melt surface from the height measuring device 4.

[0048] In the film forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment, an appropriate melt surface height h is preset for each hearth liner 23, and for example, a reference value having a lower limit is set. In step S403, it is determined whether the measured value of the melt surface height h input from the height measuring device 4 is within the preset reference value (whether it is equal to or greater than the lower limit), and if the measured value of the melt surface height h is within the reference value, the process proceeds to step S404, where normal processing is performed and there is no need to supply material, so that the material supply processing is terminated.

[0049] On the other hand, if the measured value of the height h of the melt surface input from the height measuring device 4 is not within the reference value, this means that no or only a small amount of film forming material M remains on the hearth liner 23, so the process proceeds to step S405, where the amount of film forming material M to be supplied is calculated from the measured value of the height h of the melt surface input from the height measuring device 4. For example, the volume of the film forming material M to be supplied can be found from the measured value of the height h of the melt surface input from the height measuring device 4, and the mass of the film forming material M to be supplied can be calculated from the volume of the film forming material M to be supplied and the specific gravity of the film forming material M.

[0050] In the next step S406, the hearth holder driving unit 26 is driven to move the hearth liner 23 to be supplied to the material supply position P3, and in step S407, the material supply device 3 is operated. In the next step S408, the weight of the granular film forming material M is measured by the load cell 332 while being supplied by the material supply device 3. When the weight (supply amount) calculated in step S405 is reached, the process proceeds to step S409, where the film forming material M that has been weighed and confirmed to be the predetermined supply amount is supplied to the hearth liner 23. At the same time, the material supply device 3 is stopped. In this step S408, if the measurement value of the load cell 332 does not reach the supply amount calculated in step S405 for some reason, the process proceeds to step S413, where an abnormality process is performed and the material supply process is terminated.

[0051] In step S410, the hearth holder driving unit 26 is driven to move the hearth liner 23, which was fed in step S409, to the measurement position P2 again, and in the following step S411, the laser displacement sensor 41 irradiates the melt surface of the hearth liner 23 with a laser beam and receives the reflected beam, thereby inputting a measurement value corresponding to the height h of the melt surface from the height measuring device 4. Then, in step S412, it is determined whether the measurement value of the height h of the melt surface input from the height measuring device 4 is within a preset reference value (whether it is equal to or greater than a lower limit value), and if the measurement value of the height h of the melt surface is within the reference value, the material supply process is terminated. On the other hand, in step S412, if the measurement value of the height h of the melt surface input from the height measuring device 4 is not within the preset reference value, the process returns to step S406, and the processes of steps S406 to S411 are executed again.

[0052] Returning to FIG. 6, in step S5, it is determined whether the film formation process is completed. If it is to be continued, the process returns to step S3, and the film formation process is continued until a deposition film having a predetermined thickness is formed on the multiple film formation objects S mounted on the film formation object holder 28. If it is determined in step S5 that the film formation process is completed, the process proceeds to step S6, the load lock chamber 7 is set to the same vacuum atmosphere as the film formation chamber 2, the gate valve 71 is opened, and the film formation object holder 28 on which the multiple film formation objects S for which the film formation process has been completed are mounted is grasped using a robot or the like and carried out from the film formation chamber 2 to the load lock chamber 7. Thereafter, the gate valve 71 is closed, the load lock chamber 7 is returned to an atmospheric pressure atmosphere, and the film formation object holder 28 on which the film formation object S is mounted is carried out to the outside through a door (not shown). This ends the film formation process. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1...Film deposition equipment 2. Film deposition chamber 21...Exhaust system 21a...Shutter valve 22…Hearth holder 23…Hearth liner 24…Heating source 26…Hearth holder drive part 27…Axis 28... Coating object holder 29...Holder drive unit 3…Material feeder 31…Hopper 32…Bowl feeder 321…Bowl 322...Shoot 323…Bowl feeder nozzle 33…Measuring and supplying mechanism 331… Foundation 332...Load cell 333…Tray 334…Partition 335…Tray 336...Dump mechanism 337...Linear feeder 338...Linear feeder nozzle 34…Nozzle 341...Opening wall 342...Dispersion member 342A…Side plate 342B…back plate 342C…Notch 342D…Dispersion 4. Height measuring device 41...Laser displacement sensor 42…Casing 421...Opening 422…Glass plate 43... Raceway 44…Wiring 6. Controller 7...Load lock chamber 71...Shutter valve M…Film forming material S...Object to be coated P1: Evaporation position P2…Measurement position P3…Material supply position

Claims

1. a deposition chamber in which at least a deposition material and a deposition target are provided and which can be set to a predetermined deposition atmosphere; a hearth liner provided inside the deposition chamber and configured to contain the deposition material; a heat source provided inside the deposition chamber and configured to heat the deposition material contained in the hearth liner; a material supplier for supplying the deposition material to the hearth liner; a height measuring device for measuring a height of a molten surface of the film forming material contained in the hearth liner; a controller that calculates a mass of the film forming material to be supplied based on the height of the melt surface measured by the height measuring device, and controls the material supply device to supply the calculated mass of the film forming material to the hearth liner; the material supply device includes a hopper for accommodating the film forming material, a conveying mechanism for conveying the film forming material accommodated in the hopper to the hearth liner, and a load cell for measuring a mass of the film forming material during the conveying; The controller determines whether the mass measured by the load cell reaches the calculated mass, and supplies the film forming material to the hearth liner when the mass measured by the load cell reaches the calculated mass.

2. a deposition chamber in which at least a deposition material and a deposition target are provided and which can be set to a predetermined deposition atmosphere; a hearth liner provided inside the deposition chamber and configured to contain the deposition material; a heat source provided inside the deposition chamber and configured to heat the deposition material contained in the hearth liner; a material supplier for supplying the deposition material to the hearth liner; a height measuring device for measuring a height of a molten surface of the film forming material contained in the hearth liner; a controller that calculates a mass of the film forming material to be supplied based on the height of the melt surface measured by the height measuring device, and controls the material supply device to supply the calculated mass of the film forming material to the hearth liner; The material supplying device includes a bowl feeder that applies vibration to the granular film-forming material to convey it, and a load cell that sequentially measures a mass of the film-forming material conveyed from the bowl feeder, The controller controls the bowl feeder to apply vibration to the granular film-forming material until the mass measured by the load cell reaches the calculated mass.

3. 3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the material supply device and / or the height measuring device are provided inside the film forming chamber.

4. a hearth holder that is rotatably provided inside the deposition chamber and that concentrically supports a plurality of the hearth liners; heating the film forming material by the heat source on the hearth liner located at an evaporation position among the plurality of hearth liners; measuring a height of a molten surface of the film forming material by the height measuring device for the hearth liner that is located at a measurement position different from the evaporation position among the plurality of hearth liners; 3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the film forming material is supplied by the material supply device to one of the plurality of hearth liners that is located at a material supply position different from the evaporation position and the measurement position.

5. the material supplier includes a nozzle for introducing the deposition material to the hearth liner; 3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle includes a cylindrical nozzle body extending in a vertical direction, and a dispersion member provided inside the nozzle body for dispersing the granular film forming material that falls naturally from above the nozzle body.

6. In a material supply device used in a film forming apparatus, A hopper for containing a film forming material; a conveying mechanism for conveying the film forming material contained in the hopper to a hearth liner of the film forming apparatus; a load cell for measuring a mass of the film forming material during transportation; A controller; The controller determines whether the mass measured by the load cell reaches a predetermined mass, and supplies the film forming material to the hearth liner when the mass measured by the load cell reaches the predetermined mass.

7. A bowl feeder that applies vibration to the granular film-forming material to transport it, The load cell sequentially measures the mass of the film forming material conveyed from the bowl feeder, The material supplying device according to claim 6 , wherein the controller controls the bowl feeder to apply vibration to the granular film forming material until the mass measured by the load cell reaches the predetermined mass.

8. A nozzle for guiding the deposition material to the hearth liner, The nozzle is A cylindrical nozzle body extending in a vertical direction; 8. The material supplying device according to claim 6, further comprising: a dispersing member provided inside the nozzle body for dispersing the granular film forming material that has naturally fallen from above the nozzle body.

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