Alignment device, film formation device, alignment method, and film formation method

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an alignment device, a film formation device, an alignment method, and a film formation method capable of enhancing alignment accuracy.　The present invention is characterized by being provided with: a substrate Z actuator 250 that causes a substrate 10 and a mask 220 to approach or separate from each other; an XYθ actuator 290 that adjusts the relative position between the substrate 10 and the mask 220; a control unit 270 that controls these; and an information acquisition means that acquires information pertaining to the thickness of the mask 220 and information pertaining to the type of the substrate 10. The control unit 270 controls the substrate Z actuator 250 and the XYθ actuator 290 on the basis of the information pertaining to the thickness of the mask 220 and the information pertaining to the type of the substrate 10 acquired by the information acquisition means.

Description

Alignment apparatus, film formation apparatus, alignment method, and film formation method

[0001] The present invention relates to an alignment apparatus, a film formation apparatus, an alignment method, and a film formation method.

[0002] In a film formation apparatus for manufacturing an organic EL display or the like, an alignment device is provided in the film formation apparatus to align a substrate and a mask as a pre-processing step for film formation. In order to improve the accuracy of film formation, it is important to improve the alignment accuracy, and the applicant of the present application has proposed various techniques (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] JP 2020-105629 A JP 2020-141121 A

[0004] It has been discovered that misalignment occurs due to differences in the type of substrate and individual masks, and there is a demand for even higher alignment accuracy.

[0005] The present invention provides an alignment apparatus, a film deposition apparatus, an alignment method, and a film deposition method that can improve alignment accuracy.

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

[0007] That is, the alignment apparatus of the present invention is an alignment apparatus that aligns a substrate and a mask, and comprises: a movement mechanism that moves at least one of the substrate and the mask in a first direction to bring the substrate and the mask closer to or apart from each other; a position adjustment mechanism that moves at least one of the substrate and the mask in at least one of a second direction that intersects the first direction and a third direction that intersects the first direction and the second direction to adjust the relative position between the substrate and the mask; a control unit that controls the movement mechanism and the position adjustment mechanism; and an information acquisition means that acquires information regarding the thickness of the mask and information regarding the type of the substrate, wherein the control unit controls the movement mechanism and the position adjustment mechanism based on the information regarding the thickness of the mask and the information regarding the type of the substrate acquired by the information acquisition means.

[0008] Another alignment apparatus is an alignment apparatus that aligns a substrate and a mask, and comprises: a movement mechanism that moves at least one of the substrate and the mask in a first direction to bring the substrate and the mask closer to or apart from each other; a position adjustment mechanism that moves at least one of the substrate and the mask in at least one of a second direction that intersects the first direction and a third direction that intersects the first direction and the second direction to adjust the relative position between the substrate and the mask; a control unit that controls the movement mechanism and the position adjustment mechanism; and information acquisition means that acquires information about the type of the substrate, wherein the control unit controls the position adjustment mechanism based on a first offset that is related to the information about the type of the substrate acquired by the information acquisition means and that is for compensating for any misalignment between the alignment mark of the mask and the alignment mark of the substrate that may occur due to the movement mechanism, and a second offset that is different from the first offset.

[0009] As described above, according to the present invention, alignment accuracy can be improved.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a portion of a manufacturing line for an organic EL display device. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a film forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a substrate support unit. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a first alignment step. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a method for moving and clamping a substrate after completion of the first alignment step. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a second alignment step. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a method for moving and clamping a substrate after the second alignment step. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a case where a large substrate (mother glass) is cut into two divided substrates. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration in which offset values ​​for each type of substrate are recorded as a table in a memory unit. FIG. 10 is an overall view of an organic EL display device and a cross-sectional view of an element of the organic EL display device.

[0011] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a detailed description will be given of an embodiment of the present invention. However, the following embodiment merely exemplifies a preferred configuration of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to such configuration. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the hardware and software configurations, processing flow, manufacturing conditions, dimensions, materials, shapes, etc. of the device in the following description are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0012] The present invention relates to a film formation apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate, and in particular to an alignment technique for highly accurate positional adjustment of the substrate. The present invention is preferably applicable to an apparatus for forming a thin film of a desired pattern on the surface of a substrate by vacuum deposition. The substrate material can be any material, such as glass, resin, or metal. The deposition material can also be any material, such as organic or inorganic materials (metals, metal oxides, etc.). The technology of the present invention is specifically applicable to manufacturing apparatuses for organic electronic devices (e.g., organic electroluminescence (EL) display devices, thin-film solar cells), optical components, and the like. Among these, manufacturing apparatuses for organic electroluminescence (EL) display devices are a preferred application example of the present invention, as they require further improvements in the alignment accuracy and speed between the substrate and the mask due to the increasing size of substrates and the increasing resolution of display panels. The technology of the present invention can also be considered as an alignment apparatus for aligning a substrate and a mask. In this case, the alignment apparatus is used in a film formation chamber within a film formation cluster. The present invention can also be applied to film formation apparatuses and methods that form films by methods other than vapor deposition, such as sputtering.

[0013] An alignment apparatus according to this embodiment, a film deposition apparatus including this alignment apparatus, an alignment method using the alignment apparatus, and a film deposition method using the film deposition apparatus will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0014] <Electronic Device Manufacturing Line> Fig. 1 is a top view showing a schematic diagram of a part of the configuration of an electronic device manufacturing line. The manufacturing line in Fig. 1 is used, for example, to manufacture display panels for organic EL display devices for smartphones. Substrates 10, which are obtained by cutting mother glass as a large substrate of the sixth generation full size (approximately 1500 mm x approximately 1850 mm) to a half-cut size (approximately 1500 mm x approximately 925 mm), are transported into a film-forming cluster 1, where organic EL films are formed.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, a film formation cluster 1 in a manufacturing line for organic EL displays generally includes a plurality of film formation chambers 110 in which processing (e.g., film formation) is performed on substrates 10, a mask stock chamber 120 in which masks before and after use are stored, and a transport chamber 130 located in the center thereof.

[0016] A transfer robot 140 is installed in the transfer chamber 130 to transfer the substrate 10 between the multiple film formation chambers 110 and to transfer the mask between the film formation chamber 110 and the mask stock chamber 120. The transfer robot 140 is, for example, a robot having a structure in which a robot hand for holding the substrate 10 or the mask is attached to an articulated arm.

[0017] The film formation cluster 1 is connected to a pass chamber 150 that transports the substrates 10 sent from the upstream side to the film formation cluster 1 in the flow direction of the substrates 10, and a buffer chamber 160 that transports the substrates 10 that have completed film formation processing in the film formation cluster 1 to other film formation clusters downstream. The transfer robot 140 receives the substrates 10 from the upstream pass chamber 150 and transports them to one of the film formation chambers 110 in the film formation cluster 1. The transfer robot 140 also receives the substrates 10 that have completed film formation processing in the film formation cluster 1 from one of the multiple film formation chambers 110 and transports them to the buffer chamber 160 connected downstream. A swirl chamber 170 that changes the direction of the substrates 10 is provided between the buffer chamber 160 and the pass chamber 150 further downstream. This allows the substrates to be oriented in the same direction in the upstream film formation cluster and the downstream film formation cluster, facilitating substrate processing.

[0018] In the mask stock chamber 120, masks to be used in the film formation process in the film formation chamber 110 and used masks are stored in two separate cassettes. A transfer robot 140 transfers used masks from the film formation chamber 110 to a cassette in the mask stock chamber 120, and transfers new masks stored in another cassette in the mask stock chamber 120 to the film formation chamber 110.

[0019] Each chamber, such as the film-forming chamber 110, mask stock chamber 120, transfer chamber 130, buffer chamber 160, and rotation chamber 170, is maintained at a high vacuum during the manufacturing process of an organic EL display panel. Each film-forming chamber 110 is equipped with a film-forming apparatus. The film-forming apparatus automatically performs a series of film-forming processes, including transferring the substrate 10 to the transfer robot 140, adjusting the relative position of the substrate 10 and the mask (alignment), fixing the substrate 10 on the mask, and film formation (evaporation). While the film-forming apparatuses in each film-forming chamber differ in minor aspects, such as the evaporation source and mask, they share a common basic configuration (particularly the configuration related to substrate transport and alignment). The following describes the common configuration of the film-forming apparatuses in each film-forming chamber. The following description focuses on a deposit-up configuration in which the film-forming surface of the substrate faces downward in the direction of gravity during film formation. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to adopt a deposit-down configuration in which the film is formed with the film-forming surface of the substrate facing upward in the direction of gravity, or a configuration (side deposit) in which the film is formed with the substrate standing vertically, i.e., with the film-forming surface of the substrate approximately parallel to the direction of gravity.

[0020] <Film Forming Apparatus> Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a film forming apparatus. In the following description, an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is used, with the vertical direction being the Z direction. When the substrate is fixed so as to be parallel to a horizontal plane (XY plane) during film formation, the short side direction of the substrate (the direction parallel to the short side) is the X direction, and the long side direction (the direction parallel to the long side) is the Y direction. The rotation angle around the Z axis is represented by θ. The Z direction corresponds to the "first direction," the X direction corresponds to the "second direction intersecting with the first direction," and the Y direction corresponds to the "third direction intersecting with the first and second directions."

[0021] The film forming apparatus includes a vacuum chamber 200. The interior of the vacuum chamber 200 is maintained in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas. Inside the vacuum chamber 200, a substrate support unit 210, a mask 220, a mask table 221, a cooling plate 230, and an evaporation source 240 are provided.

[0022] The substrate supporting unit 210 is a means for supporting and transporting the substrate 10 received from the transport robot 140, and is also called a substrate holder. The mask 220 is a metal mask having an opening pattern corresponding to the thin film pattern to be formed on the substrate 10, and is fixed on a mask table 221 that supports the mask 220.

[0023] During film formation, the substrate 10 is placed on the mask 220. The cooling plate 230 is a plate-like member that adheres to the substrate 10 during film formation and suppresses the temperature rise of the substrate 10 during film formation, thereby suppressing alteration and deterioration of the organic material. The cooling plate 230 may also serve as a magnetic plate. A magnetic plate is a member that increases the adhesion between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 during film formation by attracting the mask 220 with magnetic force. In this way, the adhesion means (magnetic plate) that adheres the substrate 10 and the mask 220 to each other can also serve as a temperature adjustment means that adjusts (typically cools) the temperature of at least one of the substrate 10 and the mask 220.

[0024] The evaporation source 240 is composed of a container (crucible) for storing the evaporation material, a heater for heating the container, a shutter for stopping the release of the evaporation material, a drive mechanism for driving various components such as the shutter, an evaporation rate monitor for checking the thickness of the film to be formed, etc. Note that, although this embodiment will describe an evaporation apparatus that uses the evaporation source 240 as a film formation source, the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to a sputtering apparatus that uses a sputtering target as a film formation source.

[0025] A movement adjustment mechanism 205 is provided on the upper (outside) side of the vacuum chamber 200 to adjust the relative positional relationship between the substrate 10 and the mask 220. This movement adjustment mechanism 205 includes a substrate Z actuator 250, which serves as a movement mechanism for moving the substrate 10 in the Z direction and moving the substrate 10 and the mask 220 closer to or farther apart. As described above, in this embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which the substrate 10 is moved in the Z direction (first direction) to move the substrate 10 and the mask 220 closer to or farther apart. However, in the present invention, a configuration for moving the mask in the first direction, or a configuration for moving the substrate and the mask in the first direction, may also be adopted to move the substrate and the mask closer to or farther apart. Note that various known technologies, such as a motor and a ball screw or a motor and a linear guide, can be used as the substrate Z actuator 250. The substrate Z actuator 250 has the function of raising and lowering (moving in the Z direction) the entire substrate support unit 210.

[0026] The movement adjustment mechanism 205 further includes a clamp Z actuator 251, a cooling plate Z actuator 252, an X actuator, a Y actuator, and a θ actuator. These actuators can also employ various known technologies such as a motor and ball screw, or a motor and linear guide.

[0027] The clamp Z actuator 251 serves to open and close the clamping mechanism of the substrate support unit 210. The cooling plate Z actuator 252 serves to raise and lower the cooling plate 230.

[0028] The X actuator, Y actuator, and θ actuator (hereinafter collectively referred to as the "XYθ actuator 290") play a role in aligning the substrate 10. The XYθ actuator has the function of moving the entire substrate support unit 210 and cooling plate 230 in the X direction, the Y direction, and rotating them through θ. Therefore, it has mechanisms for moving the members supporting the substrate support unit 210 and cooling plate 230 in the X direction, the Y direction, and rotating them through θ. While FIG. 2 shows the XYθ actuator 290 schematically, it generally has mechanisms for moving the members supporting the substrate support unit 210 and cooling plate 230 in the X direction, the Y direction, and the θ direction. Note that a θ actuator for θ rotation may be separately installed, or θ rotation may be achieved by combining an X actuator and a Y actuator. The XYθ actuator 290 functions as a position adjustment mechanism that adjusts the relative position between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 by moving the substrate 10 in at least one of the X direction (second direction) intersecting the Z direction (first direction) and the Y direction (third direction) intersecting the Z direction and the X direction. In this embodiment, a configuration is shown in which the relative position between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 is adjusted by moving the substrate 10. However, in the present invention, a configuration in which the relative position between the substrate and the mask is adjusted by moving the mask or by moving both the substrate and the mask may also be adopted.

[0029] Cameras 260 and 261 are provided on the upper part (outside) of the vacuum chamber 200 to measure the positions of the substrate 10 and the mask 220, respectively, for alignment of the substrate 10 and the mask 220. The cameras 260 and 261 photograph the substrate 10 and the mask 220 through windows provided in the vacuum chamber 200. By recognizing the alignment marks on the substrate 10 and the mask 220 from the images, it is possible to measure the XY positions of each and the amount of relative positional deviation within the XY plane.

[0030] In order to achieve highly accurate alignment in a short time, it is preferable to perform two-stage alignment: a first alignment (also referred to as "rough alignment") that roughly aligns the substrates, and a second alignment (also referred to as "fine alignment") that highly accurately aligns the substrates. In this case, two types of cameras are preferably used: a first alignment camera 260 with a low resolution but a wide field of view, and a second alignment camera 261 with a narrow field of view but high resolution. In this embodiment, the alignment marks attached to two locations on a pair of opposing sides of the substrate 10 and the mask 220 are measured by two first alignment cameras 260, and the alignment marks attached to the four corners (or two diagonal locations) of the substrate 10 and the mask 220 are measured by four second alignment cameras 261. The number of alignment marks and cameras for measuring them is not particularly limited. For example, in the case of fine alignment, marks attached to two corners of the substrate 10 and the mask 220 may be measured by two cameras 261.

[0031] The film forming apparatus includes a control unit 270. The control unit 270 controls the substrate Z actuator 250, the clamp Z actuator 251, the cooling plate Z actuator 252, the XYθ actuator 290, and the cameras 260 and 261, as well as transporting and aligning the substrate 10, controlling the evaporation source, and controlling film formation. The control unit 270 can be configured, for example, by a computer having a processor, memory, storage, I / O, and the like. In this case, the functions of the control unit 270 are realized by the processor executing a program stored in the memory or storage. The computer may be a general-purpose personal computer, an embedded computer, or a PLC (programmable logic controller). Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the control unit 270 may be configured by a circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA. A control unit 270 may be provided for each film forming apparatus, or one control unit 270 may control multiple film forming apparatuses.

[0032] The film forming apparatus according to this embodiment includes an offset information storage unit 280 as a storage unit. The offset information storage unit 280 stores information for adjusting position adjustment parameter values ​​(offset values) when performing the above alignment, depending on which portion of the mother glass the substrate 10, divided from the large substrate (mother glass), was cut from. The offset information storage unit 280 may be provided for each film forming apparatus, or may be connected to multiple film forming apparatuses via a network. Details of the offset information storage unit 280 will be described later.

[0033] The film forming apparatus according to this embodiment also includes a mask thickness information acquisition means 285 for acquiring thickness information for the mask 220 carried into the film forming apparatus. The control unit 270 variably controls the amount of movement (movement position) when the substrate 10, aligned for placement on the mask 220, is moved closer to the mask 220 (or the mask 220 is moved closer to the substrate 10), based on the mask thickness information acquired by the mask thickness information acquisition means 285. Details regarding the mask thickness information acquisition means 285 will be described later.

[0034] <Substrate Support Unit> The configuration of the substrate support unit 210 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 . FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the substrate support unit 210. The substrate support unit 210 is a means for holding and transporting the substrate 10 by clamping the periphery of the substrate 10 with a clamping mechanism. Specifically, the substrate support unit 210 includes a support frame 301 provided with a plurality of supports 300 that support the four sides of the substrate 10 from below, and a clamp member 303 provided with a plurality of pressing tools 302 that clamp the substrate 10 between the supports 300. A pair of the supports 300 and the pressing tools 302 constitutes one clamping mechanism. In the example of FIG. 3 , three supports 300 are arranged along the short sides of the substrate 10, and six clamping mechanisms (pairs of support 300 and pressing tool 302) are arranged along the long sides, thereby clamping the two long sides. However, the configuration of the clamping mechanism is not limited to the example in Fig. 3, and the number and arrangement of the clamping mechanisms can be changed as appropriate depending on the size and shape of the substrate to be processed, the film formation conditions, etc. The support tool 300 is also called a "finger plate," and the pressing tool 302 is also called a "clamp."

[0035] The transfer of the substrate 10 from the transport robot 140 to the substrate support unit 210 is performed, for example, as follows. First, the clamp Z actuator 251 raises the clamp member 303 and moves the pressing tool 302 away from the support 300, thereby releasing the clamping mechanism. After the transport robot 140 introduces the substrate 10 between the support 300 and the pressing tool 302, the clamp Z actuator 251 lowers the clamp member 303 and presses the pressing tool 302 against the support 300 with a predetermined pressing force. As a result, the substrate 10 is sandwiched between the pressing tool 302 and the support 300. In this state, the substrate Z actuator 250 drives the substrate support unit 210, thereby allowing the substrate 10 to be raised and lowered (moved in the Z direction). That is, the substrate 10 can be moved in a first direction (Z direction) perpendicular to the surface of the mask 220 or the film formation surface of the substrate 10 by the substrate Z actuator 250, which is a movement mechanism, to bring the substrate 10 closer to or farther away from the mask 220. Note that the clamp Z actuator 251 rises or falls together with the substrate support unit 210, so the state of the clamping mechanism does not change even if the substrate support unit 210 rises or falls.

[0036] Reference numeral 101 in FIG. 3 denotes alignment marks for second alignment provided at the four corners of the substrate 10, and reference numeral 102 denotes an alignment mark for first alignment provided at the center of the short side of the substrate 10.

[0037] <Alignment (Position Adjustment Step)> Figure 4 is a diagram showing the first alignment step. Figure 4(a) shows the state immediately after the substrate 10 is transferred from the transfer robot 140 to the substrate support unit 210. The center of the substrate 10 is bent downward due to its own weight. Next, as shown in Figure 4(b), the clamp member 303 is lowered, and each side of the substrate 10 is clamped by a clamping mechanism consisting of a pressing tool 302 and a support tool 300.

[0038] Next, as shown in FIG. 4( c), a first alignment is performed with the substrate 10 spaced a predetermined height from the mask 220 (with the substrate 10 and the mask 220 spaced a predetermined distance apart). The first alignment is a first position adjustment process that roughly adjusts the relative positions of the substrate 10 and the mask 220 in the XY plane (the direction parallel to the film formation surface of the substrate 10), and is also referred to as "rough alignment." In the first alignment, the camera 260 recognizes the substrate alignment mark 102 provided on the substrate 10 and the mask alignment mark 220X provided on the mask 220, measures their respective XY positions and the positional deviation d1 in the XY plane, and performs alignment. FIG. 4( c1) shows an example of the positional relationship between the substrate alignment mark 102 and the mask alignment mark 220X photographed by the camera 260.

[0039] In this way, the first alignment is performed by adjusting the misalignment between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 at the first position, where the substrate 10 is a first distance away from the mounting surface of the mask 220, based on images of the first alignment marks formed on the substrate 10 and the mask 220. The camera 260 used for the first alignment is a low-resolution but wide-field camera that allows for rough alignment. During alignment, the position of the substrate 10 (substrate support unit 210) may be adjusted as in this embodiment, but in the present invention, the position of the mask may be adjusted, or the positions of both the substrate and the mask may be adjusted.

[0040] After the first alignment process is completed, the substrate 10 is lowered as shown in FIG. 5A. Then, as shown in FIG. 5B, before the substrate 10 contacts the mask 220, the pressing tool 302 is raised to release the clamping mechanism. Next, as shown in FIG. 5C, while the substrate support unit 210 remains in the released (non-clamped) state, it is lowered to a position where the second alignment is performed. Then, as shown in FIG. 5D, the peripheral edge of the substrate 10 is clamped again by the clamping mechanism. The position where the second alignment is performed is a position where the substrate 10 is temporarily placed on the mask 220 to measure the misalignment between the substrate 10 and the mask 220. For example, the support surface (top surface) of the support tool 300 is slightly higher than the placement surface of the mask 220. At this time, at least the center of the substrate 10 contacts the mask 220, and the left and right edges of the peripheral portion of the substrate 10 that are supported by the clamping mechanism are slightly separated (floating) from the mounting surface of the mask 220. Note that in this embodiment, after the first alignment is completed, when the substrate 10 is lowered to the measurement position for the second alignment, the substrate is lowered in a released state, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the substrate may be lowered in a state where it is clamped by the substrate clamping mechanism.

[0041] FIGS. 6(a) to 6(d) are diagrams illustrating the second alignment. The second alignment is an alignment process that performs high-precision alignment and is also referred to as "fine alignment." First, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the camera 261 recognizes the substrate alignment mark 101 provided on the substrate 10 and the mask alignment mark 220Y provided on the mask 220, and measures their respective XY positions and the misalignment d2 in the XY plane. FIG. 6(a1) shows an example of the positional relationship between the substrate alignment mark 101 and the mask alignment mark 220Y photographed by the camera 261. The camera 261 is a high-resolution camera with a narrow field of view that enables high-precision alignment. If the measured misalignment d2 exceeds a threshold, alignment processing is performed. The following describes the case where the measured misalignment d2 exceeds the threshold.

[0042] If the measured positional deviation exceeds the threshold, as shown in Fig. 6(b), the substrate Z actuator 250 is driven to lift the substrate 10 and separate it from the mask 220. In Fig. 6(c), the XYθ actuator 290 is driven based on the positional deviation measured by the camera 261 to perform alignment. During alignment, the position of the substrate 10 (substrate support unit 210) may be adjusted as in this embodiment, but in the present invention, the position of the mask may also be adjusted, or the positions of both the substrate and the mask may also be adjusted.

[0043] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6( d ), the substrate 10 is again lowered to a position where the second alignment is performed, and the substrate 10 is placed on the mask 220. Then, the camera 261 photographs the alignment marks on the substrate 10 and the mask 220, and the misalignment is measured. If the measured misalignment exceeds a threshold, the above-described alignment process is repeated. If the misalignment is within the threshold, as shown in FIGS. 7( a ) and 7 ( b ), the substrate support unit 210 is lowered while still holding the substrate 10, and the height of the support surface of the substrate support unit 210 and the height of the mask 220 are aligned. This allows the entire substrate 10 to be placed on the mask 220. In this way, the second alignment is performed by photographing the second alignment marks formed on the substrate 10 and the mask 220 at a second position where the substrate 10 and the mask 220 are closer than the first distance, adjusting the misalignment between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 based on the photographed image of the second alignment mark at a position where the substrate 10 and the mask 220 are again separated, and then bringing the substrate 10 and the mask 220 closer to the second position again.

[0044] When the process of placing the substrate 10 on the mask 220 is completed through the above steps, as shown in Fig. 7C, the cooling plate Z actuator 252 is driven to lower the cooling plate 230 so that it comes into close contact with the substrate 10. This completes preparations for the film formation process (evaporation process) to be performed by the film formation device.

[0045] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 6(a) to 6(d), an example has been described in which the second alignment is repeated while the substrate 10 is clamped by the clamping mechanism, but the clamping mechanism may be released or the clamping force of the clamping mechanism may be weakened (the clamping may be loosened) when the substrate 10 is placed on the mask 220.

[0046] 7C, that is, in a state where the cooling plate 230 is lowered (or, if a magnet plate is provided separately from the cooling plate 230, the magnet is lowered after the cooling plate 230) and the substrate 10 placed on the mask 220 is brought into close contact with the mask 220, the film formation process (evaporation process) is performed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and once the substrate 10 and the mask 220 are in close contact, the pressing tool 302 may be raised to release the clamping mechanism, and the substrate Z actuator 250 may be driven to further lower the support tool 300, and then the film formation process (evaporation process) may be performed.

[0047] <Offset Correction and Position Adjustment Based on Mask Thickness> As described above, after the substrate 10 and the mask 220 are aligned, the substrate 10 and the mask 220 are brought into close contact with each other, and then film formation is performed. However, it has been found that when the substrate 10 is placed on the mask 220, the positions of the substrate 10 and the mask 220 may become misaligned. Therefore, in this embodiment, a technique for further improving alignment accuracy is adopted.

[0048] It has been found that the above-described misalignment is caused by the type of substrate 10, individual differences in the mask 220 used, and the thickness of the mask 220 used. Therefore, in this embodiment, the following operation is performed to suppress misalignment between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 caused by these factors. That is, in this embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which misalignment that occurs when the substrate 10 and the mask 220 are brought into close contact with each other is offset in advance during alignment, depending on the type of substrate 10. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which misalignment that occurs due to individual differences in the mask 220 used is associated with the type of substrate 10, thereby offsetting the misalignment in advance during alignment. Furthermore, a target movement position to which the substrate 10 is moved toward the mask 220 in order to bring the substrate 10 into contact with the mask 220 after alignment is determined based on the thickness of the mask 220. These will be described in more detail below.

[0049] <<Type of Substrate>> When a large substrate (mother glass) is cut into multiple substrates and film formation is performed on these divided substrates as in this example, the behavior of the substrate during alignment with the mask may differ depending on which part of the mother glass the substrate was cut from.

[0050] The main causes of such differences in behavior are thought to be as follows. For example, as shown in Figure 8, when cutting a mother glass substrate to separate it into two pieces, one side of the mother glass substrate is usually used as the reference side, and the cut is made at a position a predetermined length from this reference side. For convenience, the half-cut size substrate on the left side of the cutting position will be referred to as "divided substrate 1," and the substrate on the right side will be referred to as "divided substrate 2." There may be a difference in size (the length of the short side after division) between divided substrate 1 and divided substrate 2.

[0051] Furthermore, the magnitude of the residual stress at the cut surface may differ between divided substrate 1 and divided substrate 2. If the magnitude of the residual stress differs, the undulation mode of the substrate may differ. If the position (direction) of the cut surface is made different between divided substrate 1 and divided substrate 2 when the substrates are carried into the film forming apparatus, the influence of the difference in the magnitude of the residual stress at the cut portion may become more pronounced (see FIG. 8(b)).

[0052] Furthermore, a cutout such as an orientation flat (hereinafter referred to as "orientation flat") may be formed on the mother glass substrate during the pre-processing process. If this orientation flat is formed on only one side of the mother glass (see FIG. 8(a)), it may cause differences in physical properties such as shape and size between divided substrates 1 and 2 after cutting.

[0053] The difference in characteristics between divided substrate 1 and divided substrate 2 due to these various causes can cause a difference to the extent that it causes a misalignment such as slippage on the substrate support unit when aligning the substrate and mask. Therefore, it is desirable that the position adjustment parameter value (offset value) set to correct the misalignment during alignment be different between divided substrate 1 and divided substrate 2.

[0054] In order to prevent a decrease in alignment accuracy due to differences in behavior between the divided substrates, this embodiment is provided with an offset information memory unit 280 that records information for adjusting the position adjustment parameter value (offset value) during alignment depending on which part of the mother glass the substrate 10 was cut out from.

[0055] Note that differences in behavior based on the type of substrate 10 may occur not only due to the type depending on which part of the mother glass it was cut out from, but also due to other types. In this invention, the "type of substrate" is not limited to the type depending on which part of the mother glass (large substrate) it was cut out from, but also includes various types in which differences in behavior may occur.

[0056] 9 shows a configuration in which offset value information specific to each type of substrate is stored as a table in the offset information storage unit 280. As shown in the figure, information (cut-out information) indicating which portion of the mother glass the substrate 10 was cut out from is assigned as an identifier (number or symbol). In this embodiment, for convenience, the two types of substrates 10 are referred to as substrate A and substrate B, respectively. A correction value for offset correction of misalignment during alignment is calculated for each type of substrate 10, and stored in the offset information storage unit 280 as corresponding information associated with the cut-out information assigned as an identifier for each substrate 10.

[0057] The offset values ​​serving as position adjustment parameters for offset correction for each type of substrate 10 can be calculated for each divided substrate based on the above-described cut-out information by preliminarily loading non-production substrates for process control management into the film formation apparatus before loading production substrates, and stored in the offset information storage unit 280. Alternatively, the amount of misalignment may be measured during film formation using the production substrates, and a value sufficient to offset the misalignment may be added to the offset value stored in the offset information storage unit 280, and the result may be re-stored in the offset information storage unit 280. That is, the control unit 270 may update the offset value stored in the offset information storage unit 280 based on the control results of the position adjustment mechanism. In this way, learning and updating the offset values ​​stored in the offset information storage unit 280 can further suppress deterioration in alignment accuracy.

[0058] In this embodiment, the position adjustment parameter values ​​(offset values) for offset correction for each type of substrate 10 are associated with cut-out information as an identifier for each substrate in the form of a table. However, in the present invention, such association is not limited to this configuration, and the position adjustment parameter values ​​and the cut-out information may be associated with each other in other ways.

[0059] The information regarding the type of the substrate 10 is acquired by an information acquiring means provided in the control unit 270 (information acquiring step). This information acquiring means can acquire information by various methods described below.

[0060] A first method involves acquiring the type of substrate 10 (cutting information) from an upstream device via communication during the transport process of the substrate 10. In this case, the information acquisition means acquires the cutting information via communication from upstream devices such as a substrate cutting device that cuts the substrate 10 from a large substrate before the substrate is transported to the film formation cluster 1, a pre-processing device that pre-processes the cut substrate 10, and a transport device. The upstream device, such as the substrate cutting device, assigns substrate identification information (ID information) to each of the divided (cut) substrates 10, associates the ID information with the cutting information, stores it in memory, or transmits it to a subsequent device. The substrate identification information is information for identifying each divided substrate 10, and is, for example, a number or symbol unique to each substrate 10 that is assigned to each substrate 10 in the order in which they are transported from the substrate cutting device.

[0061] A second method is to detect marks, orientation flats, etc. formed on each substrate 10 and acquire cutout information based on the detection results. In this case, the information acquisition means receives the image recognition results from image recognition means including image acquisition means such as a camera as the detection results, and acquires cutout information based on the detection results.

[0062] A third method is to receive input from a user of the device including the film formation cluster 1 and acquire the cutout information based on the input result. In this case, the information acquisition means includes an input means such as a touch panel, a keyboard, or a mouse, and acquires the cutout information based on the input result from the user.

[0063] The offset information storage unit 280 may be installed in each film formation apparatus, or may be installed in a server connected to each film formation apparatus via a network so that the table can be shared by multiple film formation apparatuses. The table stored in the offset information storage unit 280 is read by the control unit 270 of the film formation apparatus, and the control unit 270 controls the driving of the XYθ actuator that adjusts the relative position of the substrate support unit 210 so that an offset value unique to each substrate 10 is used for each correction based on the cut-out information during alignment.

[0064] In this way, according to this embodiment, the position adjustment parameter values ​​(offset values) for correcting misalignment during alignment are set to be different based on the information (cut-out information) assigned as an identifier to each substrate 10, which indicates which part of the mother glass it was cut out from.By utilizing this during offset correction, it is possible to prevent a decrease in alignment accuracy due to differences in behavior caused by the type of substrate 10.

[0065] A specific example of the position adjustment parameter value (offset value) employed in this embodiment will be described below.

[0066] <<Offset Correction for Misalignment During Adhesion Step (First Offset / First Correction Value)>> After completion of fine alignment as the second alignment, the entire surface of the substrate 10 is placed on the mask 220. Next, the cooling plate 230, which also serves as a magnet plate, is lowered (if a magnet plate is installed separately, the magnet plate is also lowered after the cooling plate 230), and after the substrate 10 and the mask 220 are brought into close contact with each other, vapor deposition is performed (see FIG. 7C).

[0067] After the fine alignment is completed, the relative position between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 may again be shifted due to mechanical or physical operations such as lowering the cooling plate 230 or the magnet plate.

[0068] To correct such misalignment after the completion of fine alignment, after the contact operation between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 has been performed, the alignment marks on the substrate 10 and the mask 220 are photographed again using the fine alignment camera 161, and a final measurement is performed to verify whether the misalignment has converged within a threshold value. The misalignment amount confirmed in this verification is then reflected as an offset amount in the target position during fine alignment, thereby enabling advance correction of the misalignment due to the mechanical and physical operations after the completion of the alignment described above. The amount of such misalignment varies depending on the type of substrate 10. Therefore, in this embodiment, the offset value is changed depending on the type of substrate 10. As shown in FIG. 9 , the offset correction value for substrate A is set to OS-A, and the offset correction value for substrate B is set to OS-B.

[0069] As described above, this offset value can be measured by preliminarily loading a non-production substrate for process control management into the film formation apparatus, and then stored in the offset information storage unit 280. Alternatively, the amount of misalignment can be measured during the film formation process using a production substrate, and a value sufficient to offset the amount of misalignment can be added to the offset value stored in the offset information storage unit 280, and the result can be re-stored in the offset information storage unit 280. In this way, by learning and updating the offset value stored in the offset information storage unit 280, it is possible to further suppress deterioration in alignment accuracy.

[0070] <<Misalignment Offset Correction Based on Individual Mask Differences (Second Offset / Second Correction Value)>> The size and shape of the mask 220 vary from mask to mask due to dimensional tolerances during manufacturing and differences in the amount of deformation after manufacturing. Therefore, when the substrate 10 is placed on the mask 220, a misalignment occurs depending on the individual mask 220. Therefore, in this embodiment, to correct such misalignment, similar to the first offset, for each mask 220, after the substrate 10 and mask 220 are brought into close contact with each other, the fine alignment camera 161 photographs the alignment marks of the substrate 10 and mask 220 again, and finally measures and verifies whether the misalignment has converged within a threshold value. The misalignment amount confirmed in this verification is then reflected as an offset amount in the target position during fine alignment, thereby enabling advance correction of the misalignment due to the individual mask 220 differences. The amount of such misalignment also varies depending on the type of substrate 10. Therefore, in this embodiment, the offset value is changed depending on the type of substrate 10 and the individual mask differences.

[0071] 9 , mask identification information (id1, id2, . . . ) is assigned to each mask 220. Offset correction values ​​based on mask individual differences are set separately for the case where substrate A is used and the case where substrate B is used. For example, the offset value based on mask individual differences when substrate A is used and a mask 220 with an identifier id1 is used is OS-A1, and the offset value based on mask individual differences when substrate B is used and a mask 220 with an identifier id1 is OS-B1. Furthermore, the offset value based on mask individual differences when substrate A is used and a mask 220 with an identifier id2 is OS-A2, and the offset value based on mask individual differences when substrate B is used and a mask 220 with an identifier id2 is OS-B2.

[0072] This offset value can also be measured by preliminarily loading a non-production substrate for process control management into the film formation equipment, and then stored in the offset information storage unit 280. Alternatively, the amount of misalignment can be measured during the film formation process using a production substrate, and a value sufficient to offset the amount of misalignment can be added to the offset value stored in the offset information storage unit 280, and the result can be re-stored in the offset information storage unit 280. In this way, by learning and updating the offset value stored in the offset information storage unit 280, it is possible to further suppress deterioration in alignment accuracy.

[0073] As described above, in this embodiment, when fine alignment is performed by the XYθ actuator 290 serving as a position adjustment mechanism, the position of the substrate 10 and the mask 220 is aligned so that the target position is not the overlapping position of the substrate alignment mark 101 and the mask alignment mark 220Y, but a position that is shifted in advance from the overlapping position by an amount that takes into account the first correction value and the second correction value. For example, when substrate A is used and mask 220 with identifier id1 is used, fine alignment is performed so that the target position is a position shifted by OS-A and OS-A1 from the overlapping position of the substrate alignment mark 101 and the mask alignment mark 220Y, and falls within the threshold.

[0074] In this embodiment, not only is offset correction performed when fine alignment is performed in a direction parallel to the film formation surface of the substrate 10 (corresponding to directions parallel to the second and third directions), but movement adjustment is also performed in accordance with the mask thickness. This point will be explained below.

[0075] <Position Control According to the Thickness of the Mask Used (Position Control in the Movement Step)> In this embodiment, first, with the substrate 10 and the mask 220 spaced apart, rough alignment (first alignment) is performed to roughly adjust the relative positions of the substrate 10 and the mask 220 in the XY plane according to the image capture results of the camera 260 (see FIG. 4C). Then, after the position adjustment by rough alignment is completed, the substrate 10 is lowered to a position close to the mask 220 while maintaining the aligned state. Specifically, as described above, the substrate 10 is lowered to a position where the center of the substrate 10 contacts the mask 220 and the left and right sides of the substrate 10 are slightly separated from the mounting surface of the mask 220 (see FIG. 5D). However, the present invention is not limited to such control. In other words, when the aligned substrate and mask are moved closer to each other after alignment is completed, "closeness" includes not only moving the substrate to a position where a portion of the substrate contacts the mask, but also moving the substrate as close as possible just before physical contact.

[0076] In this embodiment, the target movement position (movement amount) when the substrate 10, whose positional misalignment has been adjusted by the above-described alignment process, is moved closer to the mask 220 is controlled based on thickness information about the mask being used. That is, when the substrate 10 and the mask 220, whose positional misalignment has been adjusted by the first alignment, are moved closer from the first position to the second position, the control unit 270 controls the movement mechanism based on thickness information about the mask 220 acquired by the mask thickness information acquisition unit 285. More specifically, thickness information about the mask 220 loaded into the film formation apparatus is acquired, and the movement amount by which the substrate 10 moves closer to the mask 220 by driving the substrate Z actuator 250 is controlled based on the acquired thickness information. In other words, the movement amount when the aligned substrate 10 is moved closer to the mask 220 is corrected according to the difference in thickness between the masks. This prevents the adjusted positional relationship between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 from being shifted again due to differences in mask thickness during the process of placing the substrate 10 on the mask after alignment is complete.

[0077] In order to perform the above-described control, the film forming apparatus according to this embodiment is provided with a mask thickness information acquiring means 285 for acquiring thickness information of the mask 220 carried into the film forming apparatus. As specific examples of the mask thickness information acquiring means 285, i.e., detailed methods for acquiring thickness information of the mask 220 (information acquiring process), several methods (modes) can be considered as follows:

[0078] In a first aspect, the thickness information of the mask 220 to be loaded into the film formation apparatus can be directly input by a user of the film formation apparatus via an operation terminal. That is, the thickness information is received from the user for each mask 220 to be loaded into the film formation apparatus, and the user manually inputs the mask thickness information directly through an input means such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel, thereby causing the film formation apparatus to acquire the mask thickness information. Based on the thickness information of each mask 220 acquired through this user input, the control unit 270 of the film formation apparatus controls the drive of the substrate Z actuator 250 so as to adjust the target movement position (movement amount) when moving the aligned substrate 10 close to the mask 220.

[0079] In a second aspect, thickness information for the masks 220 can be stored in advance in a storage unit as a table together with an identifier for identifying each mask 220, and the thickness information can be acquired by reading the identifier and referencing the table. FIG. 9 shows a table obtained by employing such a method. That is, the thicknesses of the masks 220 can be stored in advance in the storage unit, such as the thickness D1 of the mask 220 with the identifier id1, the thickness D2 of the mask 220 with the identifier id2, and so on. The mask thickness information acquisition means 285 in this aspect is configured to include a reading unit capable of reading the identifiers assigned to each mask and a storage unit that stores the mask identifiers and the thickness information of the masks as a table in which the mask identifiers are correlated. When this configuration is employed, the mask thickness information acquisition means 285 reads the mask identifier, such as a barcode, assigned to the mask 220 with the reading unit when the mask 220 is loaded into the deposition apparatus, and acquires the thickness information corresponding to the identifier by referring to the table stored in the storage unit based on the read identifier.

[0080] In a third aspect, the mask thickness information may be acquired via communication from an upstream transport device of a mask transport system that transports the mask 220 into the film formation apparatus or a control device that controls the upstream transport device. The film formation cluster 1 in the production line for organic EL displays includes a mask stock chamber 120 that temporarily stores masks transported from the upstream transport device of the mask transport system before being transported into the film formation chamber 110. The mask stock chamber 120 stores multiple masks 220 in cassettes configured with multiple stages, and sequentially pulls out masks to be used in the film formation process from the cassettes as needed and transports them into the film formation apparatus that constitutes the film formation chamber 110. In this aspect, the mask thickness information is acquired by receiving, via communication, thickness information for each mask being transported by the film formation apparatus from the upstream transport device or the control device that controls the upstream transport device when the mask 220 is transported from the upstream transport device of the mask transport system and stored in the mask stock chamber 120.

[0081] While the second aspect is a method in which the deposition apparatus identifies each mask by reading its identifier and obtains corresponding mask thickness information from the identification result by referencing a table, the third aspect is a method in which a separate mask identification operation is not performed within the deposition apparatus, and the thickness information of the mask itself is received directly from the upstream apparatus that transports the mask. That is, when masks are transported from the upstream apparatus of the mask transport system to the mask stock chamber 120, the deposition apparatus also receives thickness information of each mask being transported, for example, for each cassette row, such as a first thickness for the mask stored in the first row, a second thickness for the mask stored in the second row, etc., so that the deposition apparatus can confirm the thickness information of each mask as it sequentially transports each mask out of the cassette in the mask stock chamber 120.

[0082] As a fourth aspect for acquiring mask thickness information, a measuring device for measuring the thickness of the mask can be installed within the film formation cluster. In other words, the thickness measuring device can be used to acquire thickness information of the mask being transported into the film formation apparatus by actual measurement. The thickness measuring device can be installed at any position within the film formation cluster 1 where the mask 220 is located. As described above, the mask 220 transported from the upstream device of the mask transport system is temporarily stored in the mask stock chamber 120 and then transported by the transport robot through the transport chamber 130 into the film formation apparatus constituting the film formation chamber 110. The measuring device for measuring the thickness of the mask 220 can be installed at any position along this mask transport path, i.e., within the mask stock chamber 120, the transport chamber 130, or the film formation chamber 110 constituting the film formation apparatus. The specific configuration of the device for measuring the thickness by actual measurement can be any known configuration of a thickness measuring device and is not limited to a specific configuration of a thickness measuring device.

[0083] The control unit 270 of the film forming apparatus according to this embodiment controls the driving of the substrate Z actuator 250 so as to adjust the target movement position (movement amount) when moving the aligned substrate 10 closer to the mask 220, as described above, in accordance with the thickness information of each mask acquired in this manner. This makes it possible to prevent the adjusted positional relationship between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 from being displaced again due to differences in the thickness of the mask 220 during the process of placing the substrate 10 on the mask 220 after the alignment is complete. In particular, among the configurations described above, the second to fourth embodiments for acquiring the thickness information of the mask 220 can avoid the possibility of input errors when the user manually inputs the mask thickness information, and more reliably prevent a decrease in alignment accuracy due to differences in the thickness of the mask 220.

[0084] The above description has focused on the first alignment, i.e., the rough alignment that roughly adjusts the relative positions of the substrate 10 and the mask 220, and has described the operation of moving the substrate 10 and the mask 220 closer to each other after the alignment process. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied to fine alignment (second alignment) that is performed after the first alignment. As described above, in fine alignment, after the alignment operation by rough alignment (first alignment), the substrate 10 is brought close to the mask 220 (see FIGS. 5(d) and 6(a)), and the alignment marks on the substrate 10 and the mask 220 are photographed by the high-resolution camera 261 installed at the corner. If the measured misalignment exceeds a threshold, the substrate 10 is again raised and separated from the mask 220 (FIG. 6(b)). In this separated state, the XYθ actuator is driven to perform alignment (FIG. 6(c)). Then, the substrate 10 is again lowered to a measurement position where a portion of the central portion of the substrate is placed on the mask 220, and brought close to the mask 220 (FIG. 6(d)). This movement of separating and approaching the substrate 10 and the mask 220 is repeated until the misalignment between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 is reduced to within a predetermined threshold by the above alignment operation.

[0085] The present invention is also applicable to the case where the substrate 10 and the mask 220 are moved relatively closer to each other (FIG. 6(d)) after the alignment step (FIG. 6(c)) using the second alignment (fine alignment). In other words, by utilizing the thickness information of each mask described above during this relative movement between the substrate 10 and the mask 220, it is possible to suppress a decrease in alignment accuracy due to differences in the thickness of the mask 220. In this manner, after adjusting the misalignment between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 at spaced positions based on the captured image of the second alignment mark by the second alignment, the control unit 270 can also control the movement mechanism based on the thickness information of the mask 220 acquired by the thickness information acquisition unit 285 when moving the substrate 10 and the mask 220 closer to each other again to the second position (a position where the center of the substrate 10 contacts the mounting surface of the mask 220 and the sides of the substrate 10 are separated from the mounting surface of the mask 220).

[0086] The present invention can also be applied to the case where the substrate 10 is completely placed on the mask 220 after the second alignment. That is, as described above with reference to FIG. 7 , when the misalignment is reduced to within a threshold value by the second alignment (fine alignment), the substrate support unit 210 is further lowered so that the entire substrate 10 is completely placed on the mask 220. Even at this time, the present invention can control the driving of the substrate Z actuator 250 so that the amount of downward movement of the substrate support unit 210 is adjusted based on the thickness information of the mask. In this way, the control unit 270 can also control the movement mechanism based on the thickness information of the mask 220 acquired by the thickness information acquisition unit 285 when further moving the substrate 10 and the mask 220, the misalignment of which has been adjusted by the second alignment, closer to each other from the second position until the substrate 10 is completely placed on the mask 220.

[0087] <Method for Manufacturing Electronic Device> Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an electronic device using the film forming apparatus according to this embodiment 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. First, the organic EL display device to be manufactured will be described. Fig. 10(a) is an overall view of an organic EL display device 60, and Fig. 10(b) shows the cross-sectional structure of one pixel.

[0088] As shown in FIG. 10A , a display area 61 of an organic EL display device 60 includes a matrix of pixels 62, each of which includes a plurality of light-emitting elements. As will be described in detail later, each light-emitting element has a structure including an organic layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes. Note that the term "pixel" as used herein refers to the smallest unit capable of displaying a desired color in the display area 61. In the organic EL display device according to this embodiment, each pixel 62 is configured by a combination of a first light-emitting element 62R, a second light-emitting element 62G, and a third light-emitting element 62B, which emit light different from one another. While the pixel 62 is often configured by a combination of red, green, and blue light-emitting elements, it may also be configured by a combination of yellow, cyan, and white light-emitting elements, and is not particularly limited as long as it includes at least one color.

[0089] FIG. 10(b) is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram taken along line A-B in FIG. 10(a). A pixel 62 includes an organic EL element (EL element) on a substrate 63, the organic EL element including a first electrode (anode) 64, a hole transport layer 65, one of light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B, an electron transport layer 67, and a second electrode (cathode) 68. Of these, the hole transport layer 65, the light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B, and the electron transport layer 67 are organic layers. In this embodiment, the light-emitting layer 66R is an organic EL layer that emits red light, the light-emitting layer 66G is an organic EL layer that emits green light, and the light-emitting layer 66B is an organic EL layer that emits blue light. The light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B are formed in patterns corresponding to the light-emitting elements (sometimes referred to as organic EL elements) that emit red, green, and blue light, respectively. The first electrode 64 is formed separately for each light-emitting element. The hole transport layer 65, the electron transport layer 67, and the second electrode 68 may be formed in common with the plurality of light-emitting elements 62R, 62G, and 62B, or may be formed for each light-emitting element. Note that an insulating layer 69 is provided between the first electrodes 64 to prevent short-circuiting between the first electrode 64 and the second electrode 68 due to foreign matter. Furthermore, since the organic EL layer deteriorates due to moisture and oxygen, a protective layer 70 is provided to protect the organic EL elements from moisture and oxygen.

[0090] 10(b), the hole transport layer 65 and the electron transport layer 67 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 64 into the hole transport layer 65 can also be formed between the first electrode 64 and the hole transport layer 65. Similarly, an electron injection layer can also be formed between the second electrode 68 and the electron transport layer 67.

[0091] Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an organic EL display device will be specifically described. First, a circuit (not shown) for driving the organic EL display device and a substrate 63 on which a first electrode 64 is formed are prepared.

[0092] An acrylic resin is formed by spin coating on the substrate 63 on which the first electrode 64 is formed, and the acrylic resin is patterned by lithography so as to form an opening in the portion where the first electrode 64 is formed, thereby forming an insulating layer 69. This opening corresponds to the light-emitting region where the light-emitting element actually emits light.

[0093] The substrate 63 with the patterned insulating layer 69 is carried into a first film forming apparatus, and the substrate is held by a substrate support unit. A hole transport layer 65 is formed as a common layer on the first electrode 64 in the display area. The hole transport layer 65 is formed by vacuum deposition. In practice, the hole transport layer 65 is formed to be larger than the display area 61, so a high-resolution mask is not required.

[0094] Next, the substrate 63 on which the hole transport layer 65 has been formed is carried into a second film formation apparatus and held by a substrate support unit. The substrate and a mask are aligned (first alignment and second alignment), the substrate is placed on the mask, and a red-emitting light-emitting layer 66R is formed on the portion of the substrate 63 where the red-emitting element is to be disposed.

[0095] Similar to the formation of the light-emitting layer 66R, a green-emitting light-emitting layer 66G is formed by a third film-forming apparatus, and then a blue-emitting light-emitting layer 66B is formed by a fourth film-forming apparatus. After the formation of the light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B is completed, an electron transport layer 67 is formed over the entire display area 61 by a fifth film-forming apparatus. The electron transport layer 67 is formed as a layer common to the three light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B.

[0096] The substrate on which the electron transport layer 67 has been formed is transferred to a sputtering device, where the second electrode 68 is formed, and then transferred to a plasma CVD device, where the protective layer 70 is formed, thereby completing the organic EL display device 60 .

[0097] If the substrate 63 on which the insulating layer 69 is patterned is exposed to an atmosphere containing moisture or oxygen from the time it is carried into the film-forming apparatus until the completion of the formation of the protective layer 70, the light-emitting layer made of the organic EL material may be deteriorated by the moisture or oxygen. Therefore, in this example, the substrate is carried in and out of the film-forming apparatus in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere.

[0098] The above-described embodiment is merely an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and may be modified as appropriate within the scope of its technical concept.

[0099] 1: Film formation cluster 10: Substrate 101, 102: Substrate alignment mark 110: Film formation chamber 120: Mask stock chamber 130: Transfer chamber 140: Transfer robot 150: Pass chamber 160: Buffer chamber 161: Fine alignment camera 170: Swivel chamber 200: Vacuum chamber 205: Movement adjustment mechanism 210: Substrate support unit 220: Mask 220X, 220Y: Mask alignment mark 221: Mask table 230: Cooling plate 240: Evaporation source 250: Substrate Z actuator 251: Clamp Z actuator 252: Cooling plate Z actuator 260, 261: Camera 270: Control unit 280: Offset information storage unit 285: Mask thickness information acquisition means 290: XYθ actuator 300: Support 301: Support frame 302: Pressing tool 303: Clamping member

Claims

1. An alignment apparatus for aligning a substrate and a mask, comprising: a movement mechanism for moving at least one of the substrate and the mask in a first direction to bring the substrate and the mask closer together or apart; a position adjustment mechanism for moving at least one of the substrate and the mask in at least one of a second direction intersecting the first direction and a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction to adjust the relative position between the substrate and the mask; a control unit for controlling the movement mechanism and the position adjustment mechanism; and an information acquisition means for acquiring information regarding the thickness of the mask and information regarding the type of the substrate, wherein the control unit controls the movement mechanism and the position adjustment mechanism based on the information regarding the thickness of the mask and the information regarding the type of the substrate acquired by the information acquisition means.

2. The alignment device of claim 1, characterized in that the control unit controls the movement mechanism so that, when the aligned substrate and the mask are moved closer to each other, the target movement position is adjusted based on thickness information of the mask acquired by the information acquisition means.

3. An alignment apparatus as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control unit controls the position adjustment mechanism based on information regarding the type of the substrate so that alignment between the substrate and the mask is performed at a position where the substrate and the mask are spaced apart.

4. An alignment apparatus as described in claim 3, characterized in that the substrate is obtained by being cut out from a larger substrate, and the information regarding the type of substrate includes cutting information indicating from which position on the large substrate the substrate was cut out.

5. An alignment device as described in claim 4, further comprising a memory unit for storing correspondence information in which the cut-out information corresponds to parameter values ​​used to control the position adjustment mechanism, and the control unit uses the correspondence information to control the position adjustment mechanism based on information regarding the type of substrate.

6. An alignment apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said parameter values ​​include a first correction value for offset correcting a misalignment occurring during a contact operation between said substrate and said mask.

7. An alignment apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein said parameter values ​​include a second correction value for offset correcting a deviation caused by an individual difference of said mask used.

8. An alignment apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said information acquisition means acquires information relating to the thickness of said mask from an input means that accepts input of thickness information about said mask from a user.

9. An alignment apparatus as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that an identifier used to identify each mask is formed on the mask, and the information acquisition means acquires thickness information of the mask corresponding to the identifier by reading the identifier.

10. An alignment apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said information acquisition means includes a reading unit that reads said identifier, and a memory unit that stores said identifier and thickness information of said mask in association with each other.

11. An alignment device as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the information acquisition means receives the thickness information of the mask from an upstream transport device that transports the mask to the alignment device or a control device that controls the upstream transport device.

12. An alignment apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said information acquisition means acquires said mask thickness information from a measurement means for measuring said mask thickness information.

13. The alignment apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said measuring means is installed at an arbitrary position on a transport path along which said mask is transported to said alignment apparatus.

14. The alignment device according to claim 12, characterized in that the alignment device is provided in a film formation apparatus including a film formation chamber in which film formation is performed on the substrate, the film formation apparatus including a mask stock chamber for temporarily storing the mask to be transported to the film formation chamber, and a transport chamber which serves as a transport path for the mask from the mask stock chamber to the film formation chamber, the measurement means being installed in either the film formation chamber, the transport chamber, or the mask stock chamber.

15. An alignment apparatus for aligning a substrate and a mask, comprising: a moving mechanism for moving at least one of the substrate and the mask in a first direction to bring the substrate and the mask closer together or apart; a position adjustment mechanism for moving at least one of the substrate and the mask in at least one of a second direction intersecting the first direction and a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction to adjust the relative position between the substrate and the mask; a control unit for controlling the moving mechanism and the position adjustment mechanism; and information acquisition means for acquiring information regarding the type of the substrate, wherein the control unit controls the position adjustment mechanism based on a first offset for compensating for a misalignment between the alignment mark of the mask and the alignment mark of the substrate that may be caused by the moving mechanism, which is related to information regarding the type of the substrate acquired by the information acquisition means, and a second offset different from the first offset.

16. The alignment apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that the control unit controls the position adjustment mechanism based on information regarding the type of the substrate so that alignment between the substrate and the mask is performed at a position where the substrate and the mask are spaced apart.

17. An alignment apparatus as described in claim 16, characterized in that the substrate is obtained by being cut out from a larger substrate, and the information regarding the type of substrate includes cutting information indicating from which position on the large substrate the substrate was cut out.

18. An alignment apparatus as described in claim 17, further comprising a memory unit that stores correspondence information in which the cut-out information corresponds to the first offset and the second offset used to control the position adjustment mechanism, and the control unit uses the correspondence information to control the position adjustment mechanism based on information regarding the type of the substrate.

19. An alignment apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the first offset is an offset for correcting misalignment occurring during a contact operation between the substrate and the mask.

20. An alignment apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the second offset is an offset for correcting deviations caused by individual differences in the mask used.

21. A film formation apparatus comprising: an alignment apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 or 20; and a film formation source for forming a thin film on the substrate whose position has been adjusted by the alignment apparatus.

22. An alignment method for aligning a substrate and a mask, comprising: a moving step of moving at least one of the substrate and the mask in a first direction by a moving mechanism to bring the substrate and the mask closer together or apart; a position adjustment step of moving at least one of the substrate and the mask in at least one of a second direction intersecting the first direction and a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction by a position adjustment mechanism to adjust the relative position between the substrate and the mask; and an information acquisition step of acquiring information relating to the thickness of the mask and information relating to the type of the substrate by an information acquisition means, wherein the moving step and the position adjustment step control the moving mechanism and the position adjustment mechanism based on the information relating to the thickness of the mask and the information relating to the type of the substrate acquired by the information acquisition step.

23. An alignment method for aligning a substrate and a mask, comprising: a moving step of moving at least one of the substrate and the mask in a first direction by a moving mechanism to bring the substrate and the mask closer to or apart from each other; a position adjustment step of moving at least one of the substrate and the mask in at least one of a second direction intersecting the first direction and a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction by a position adjustment mechanism to adjust the relative position between the substrate and the mask; and an information acquisition step of acquiring information regarding the type of the substrate by an information acquisition means, wherein the position adjustment step controls the position adjustment mechanism based on a first offset linked to the information regarding the type of substrate acquired by the information acquisition means for compensating for a misalignment between the alignment mark of the mask and the alignment mark of the substrate that may be caused by the moving mechanism, and a second offset different from the first offset.

24. A film formation method comprising: a step of adjusting the positions of the substrate and the mask by the alignment method according to claim 22 or 23; and a step of forming a thin film on the substrate through the mask by a film formation source after the position adjustment has been performed.

Images