JP7499571B2 - Film forming apparatus, electronic device manufacturing apparatus, film forming method, and electronic device manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus, an electronic device manufacturing apparatus, a film forming method, and a method for manufacturing an electronic device.

Organic EL display devices (OLED displays) are finding a wide range of applications, including not only smartphones, televisions, and automotive displays, but also VR-HMDs (Virtual Reality Head Mount Displays) and other devices. Displays used in VR-HMDs in particular require highly accurate pixel patterns to be formed in order to reduce dizziness in users.

In the manufacture of organic EL displays, when forming the organic light-emitting elements (organic EL elements: OLEDs) that make up the organic EL display, a film-forming material is discharged from a film-forming source in a film-forming device and deposited on a substrate through a mask on which a pixel pattern is formed, forming an organic layer and a metal layer.

In such a film formation apparatus, in order to improve the film formation accuracy, the relative positions of the substrate and mask are measured before the film formation process, and if the relative positions are misaligned, the substrate and/or mask are moved relatively to adjust the positions (alignment).

For this reason, conventional film formation apparatuses include an alignment stage mechanism connected to the substrate support unit and/or the mask support unit. The alignment stage mechanism includes multiple motors (e.g., two X-direction motors and one Y-direction motor) and ball screws, linear guides, etc. that convert the rotational driving force from these motors into a linear driving force and transmit it to the alignment stage.

JP 2012-72478 A

As such, in conventional film formation devices, a mechanical power source and power conversion means were used as the alignment stage mechanism, making it difficult to further improve the positioning accuracy of the alignment stage.

In addition, conventional alignment stage mechanisms are installed outside the vacuum vessel of the film formation device (on the atmospheric side) to reduce contamination by particles and lubricants from the mechanical power source and power conversion means. However, this increases the distance between the alignment stage and the substrate support unit/mask support unit, and the oscillations caused by the mechanical drive of the alignment stage are amplified and transmitted to the substrate support unit/mask support unit, reducing alignment accuracy.

The present invention aims to provide a technique for further improving the accuracy of alignment between the substrate and the mask while reducing contamination by particles and lubricants.

A film formation apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is a film formation apparatus for forming a film formation material on a substrate via a mask, the film formation apparatus including: a vacuum vessel; a substrate supporting means provided within the vacuum vessel for supporting a substrate; a mask supporting unit provided within the vacuum vessel for supporting a mask; a magnetic levitation stage mechanism provided within the vacuum vessel for adjusting a position of the substrate supporting means in a rotational direction centered on a first direction parallel to a supporting surface of the substrate supporting means, a second direction intersecting the first direction and parallel to a supporting surface of the substrate supporting means, and a third direction intersecting both the first direction and the second direction; and a film formation source provided within the vacuum vessel for storing a film formation material and for granulating and discharging the film formation material. The magnetic levitation stage mechanism includes a first plate portion whose position is fixed with respect to the vacuum vessel and which is installed parallel to the first direction and the second direction, a second plate portion which is movable relative to the first plate portion, and a magnetic levitation unit for magnetically levitating and moving the second plate portion relative to the first plate portion, the magnetic levitation unit further including an origin positioning means for determining an origin position of the second plate portion, and the magnetic levitation unit further includes a weight compensation means for compensating for gravity acting on the second plate portion, the weight compensation means including a first magnet portion installed on the first plate portion and a second magnet portion installed on the second plate portion.
Furthermore, the film forming apparatus is a film forming apparatus for forming a film of a film forming material on a substrate through a mask,
A vacuum vessel;
a substrate supporting means provided within the vacuum vessel for supporting a substrate; a mask supporting means provided within the vacuum vessel for supporting a mask; a magnetic levitation stage mechanism provided within the vacuum vessel for adjusting a position of the substrate supporting means in a first direction parallel to a supporting surface of the substrate supporting means, a second direction intersecting the first direction and parallel to a supporting surface of the substrate supporting means, and a third direction intersecting both the first direction and the second direction; and a magnetic levitation stage mechanism provided within the vacuum vessel for storing a film forming material and for granulating the film forming material and discharging the film forming material. and a film formation source, the magnetic levitation stage mechanism including a first plate portion whose position is fixed with respect to the vacuum vessel and which is installed parallel to the first direction and the second direction, a second plate portion which is movable relatively to the first plate portion, and a magnetic levitation unit for magnetically levitating and moving the second plate portion with respect to the first plate portion, the magnetic levitation unit further including an origin positioning means for determining an origin position of the second plate portion, and the origin positioning means including at least three kinematic couplings.

A film formation apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is a film formation apparatus for forming a film formation material on a substrate via a mask, the film formation apparatus including: a vacuum vessel; a substrate support means provided within the vacuum vessel for supporting a substrate; a mask support means provided within the vacuum vessel for supporting a mask; a magnetic levitation stage mechanism provided within the vacuum vessel for adjusting a position of the mask support means in a first direction parallel to a support surface of the mask support means, a second direction intersecting the first direction and parallel to a support surface of the substrate support means, and a third direction intersecting both the first direction and the second direction; and a film formation source provided within the vacuum vessel for storing a film formation material and for granulating and discharging the film formation material. The magnetic levitation stage mechanism includes a first plate portion whose position is fixed with respect to the vacuum vessel and which is installed parallel to the first direction and the second direction, a second plate portion which is movable relative to the first plate portion, and a magnetic levitation unit for magnetically levitating and moving the second plate portion relative to the first plate portion, the magnetic levitation unit further including an origin positioning means for determining an origin position of the second plate portion, and the magnetic levitation unit further includes a weight compensation means for compensating for gravity acting on the second plate portion, the weight compensation means including a first magnet portion installed on the first plate portion and a second magnet portion installed on the second plate portion.
Further, the film formation apparatus is a film formation apparatus for forming a film of a film formation material on a substrate via a mask, the film formation apparatus comprising: a vacuum vessel; a substrate support means provided within the vacuum vessel for supporting a substrate; a mask support means provided within the vacuum vessel for supporting a mask; a magnetic levitation stage mechanism provided within the vacuum vessel for adjusting a position of the mask support means in a rotation direction centered on a first direction parallel to a support surface of the mask support means, a second direction intersecting the first direction and parallel to a support surface of the substrate support means, and a third direction intersecting both the first direction and the second direction; and a film forming source for storing a film forming material and granulating and releasing the film forming material, the magnetic levitation stage mechanism including a first plate portion whose position is fixed with respect to the vacuum vessel and which is installed parallel to the first direction and the second direction, a second plate portion which is movable relatively to the first plate portion, and a magnetic levitation unit for magnetically levitating and moving the second plate portion with respect to the first plate portion, the magnetic levitation unit further including an origin positioning means for determining an origin position of the second plate portion, and the origin positioning means including at least three kinematic couplings.

The electronic device manufacturing apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention is characterized by including a film forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, a mask stock device for storing masks, and a transport device for transporting substrates or masks.

A film formation method according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is a film formation method for forming a film of a film formation material on a substrate via a mask, the film formation method comprising the steps of: carrying a mask into a vacuum chamber of a film formation apparatus; carrying a substrate into the vacuum chamber; supporting the substrate by a substrate support means in the vacuum chamber; and adjusting a relative position of the substrate and the mask by moving the substrate support means by a magnetic levitation stage mechanism provided in the vacuum chamber, the magnetic levitation stage mechanism being capable of adjusting a position of the substrate support means in a first direction parallel to a support surface of the substrate support means, a second direction intersecting the first direction and parallel to a support surface of the substrate support means, and a third direction intersecting both the first direction and the second direction. The film formation method further comprises the steps of: bringing the mask into close contact with a film formation surface of the substrate; and depositing a film on the substrate through the mask using a film forming material granulated by a film forming source in the vacuum vessel, wherein the magnetic levitation stage mechanism includes a first plate portion whose position is fixed with respect to the vacuum vessel and which is installed parallel to the first direction and the second direction, a second plate portion which is movable relatively to the first plate portion, and a magnetic levitation unit for magnetically levitating and moving the second plate portion with respect to the first plate portion, wherein the magnetic levitation unit further includes an origin positioning means for determining an origin position of the second plate portion, and the magnetic levitation unit further includes a gravity compensation means for compensating for gravity acting on the second plate portion, the gravity compensation means including a first magnet portion installed on the first plate portion and a second magnet portion installed on the second plate portion .
Further, a film formation method is a film formation method for forming a film formation material on a substrate through a mask, comprising the steps of: carrying a mask into a vacuum chamber of a film formation apparatus; carrying a substrate into the vacuum chamber; supporting the substrate by a substrate support means in the vacuum chamber; and adjusting a relative position between the substrate and the mask by moving the substrate support means by a magnetic levitation stage mechanism provided in the vacuum chamber, wherein the magnetic levitation stage mechanism can adjust a position of the substrate support means in a first direction parallel to a support surface of the substrate support means, a second direction intersecting the first direction and parallel to a support surface of the substrate support means, and a rotational direction centered on a third direction intersecting both the first direction and the second direction. and a step of forming a film on the substrate through the mask using a film forming material granulated by a film forming source in the vacuum vessel, wherein the magnetic levitation stage mechanism includes a first plate portion whose position is fixed with respect to the vacuum vessel and which is installed parallel to the first direction and the second direction, a second plate portion which is movable relatively to the first plate portion, and a magnetic levitation unit for magnetically levitating and moving the second plate portion with respect to the first plate portion, wherein the magnetic levitation unit further includes an origin positioning means for determining an origin position of the second plate portion, and the origin positioning means includes at least three kinematic couplings.

The method for manufacturing an electronic device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the electronic device is manufactured using the film formation method according to the third aspect of the present invention.

The present invention provides a technique for further improving the accuracy of alignment between the substrate and the mask while reducing contamination by particles and lubricants.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a portion of an electronic device manufacturing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3A is a schematic plan view of a magnetic levitation stage mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view of a magnetic levitation stage mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a position measuring means. FIG. 3C is a schematic cross-sectional view of a magnetic levitation stage mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an origin positioning means. FIG. 3D is a schematic cross-sectional view of a magnetic levitation stage mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention illustrating a gravity compensation means. FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a magnetically levitated linear motor according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a magnetically levitated linear motor according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the weight compensation means according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an electronic device manufactured by the film forming method according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating an alignment and deposition process according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Below, preferred embodiments and examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the following embodiments and examples are illustrative of preferred configurations of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these configurations. 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 to these alone.

The present invention can be applied to an apparatus for depositing various materials on the surface of a substrate to form a film, and can be suitably applied to an apparatus for forming a thin film (material layer) in a desired pattern by vacuum deposition.
The substrate may be made of any material such as a semiconductor (e.g., silicon), glass, resin, a polymeric film, or metal, and may be made of, for example, a silicon wafer or a glass substrate on which a film such as polyimide is laminated. The film may be made of any material such as an organic material or a metallic material (e.g., metal, metal oxide, etc.).

In addition to vacuum deposition apparatuses using thermal evaporation, the present invention can also be applied to film formation apparatuses including sputtering apparatuses and CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) apparatuses. Specifically, the technology of the present invention can be applied to various electronic devices such as semiconductor devices, magnetic devices, and electronic components, and to manufacturing apparatuses for optical components. Specific examples of electronic devices include light-emitting elements, photoelectric conversion elements, and touch panels. The present invention is particularly applicable to manufacturing apparatuses for organic light-emitting elements such as OLEDs and organic photoelectric conversion elements such as organic thin-film solar cells. The electronic devices in the present invention also include display devices (e.g., organic EL display devices) and lighting devices (e.g., organic EL lighting devices) equipped with light-emitting elements, and sensors (e.g., organic CMOS image sensors) equipped with photoelectric conversion elements.

<Electronic device manufacturing equipment>
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a portion of an electronic device manufacturing apparatus.
1 is used, for example, to manufacture a display panel for an organic EL display device for a VR-HMD. In the case of a display panel for a VR-HMD, for example, after forming a film for forming an organic EL element on a silicon wafer of a predetermined size, the silicon wafer is cut along the area between the element formation areas (scribe area) to manufacture a number of smaller panels.

The electronic device manufacturing apparatus according to this embodiment generally includes a plurality of cluster apparatuses 1 and relay apparatuses connecting the cluster apparatuses.
The cluster apparatus 1 includes a film forming apparatus 11 that performs processing (e.g., film formation) on a substrate W, a mask stock apparatus 12 that stores masks before and after use, and a transport chamber 13 (transport apparatus) disposed in the center thereof. As shown in FIG. 1, the transport chamber 13 is connected to each of the film forming apparatus 11 and the mask stock apparatus 12.

A transport robot 14 that transports the substrate W and the mask is disposed in the transport chamber 13. The transport robot 14 is, for example, a robot having a structure in which a robot hand that holds the substrate W or the mask is attached to an articulated arm.

In the film forming apparatus 11, a film forming material discharged from a film forming source is formed through a mask onto the substrate W. A series of film forming processes, such as delivery of the substrate W/mask to and from the transfer robot 14, adjustment of the relative positions of the substrate W and the mask (alignment), fixing of the substrate W on the mask, and film formation, are performed by the film forming apparatus 11.
In a manufacturing apparatus for producing an organic EL display device, the film forming apparatus 11 can be divided into an organic film forming apparatus and a metallic film forming apparatus depending on the type of material to be formed. The organic film forming apparatus forms a film on the substrate W by vapor deposition or sputtering of an organic film forming material, and the metallic film forming apparatus forms a film on the substrate W by vapor deposition or sputtering of a metallic film forming material.

In a manufacturing apparatus for producing an organic EL display device, the position of each film-forming device depends on the layered structure of the organic EL element being manufactured, and multiple film-forming devices are arranged to form films on the organic EL element according to its layered structure.

In the case of an organic EL element, a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, and a cathode are usually laminated in this order on a substrate W on which an anode is formed, and an appropriate film forming apparatus is arranged along the flow direction of the substrate so that these layers can be formed in sequence.
For example, in Fig. 1, the film forming apparatus 11a forms a hole injection layer HIL and/or a hole transport layer HTL, the film forming apparatuses 11b and 11f form a blue light emitting layer, the film forming apparatus 11c forms a red light emitting layer, the film forming apparatuses 11d and 11e form a green light emitting layer, the film forming apparatus 11g forms an electron transport layer ETL and/or an electron injection layer EIL, and the film forming apparatus 11h forms a cathode metal film. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the film forming speed of the blue light emitting layer and the green light emitting layer is slower than that of the red light emitting layer due to the characteristics of the material, so that the blue light emitting layer and the green light emitting layer are formed by two film forming apparatuses respectively in order to balance the processing speed, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other arrangement structures may be used.

In the mask stock device 12, new masks to be used in the film formation process in the film formation device 11 and used masks are stored in multiple cassettes. The transfer robot 14 transfers used masks from the film formation device 11 to a cassette in the mask stock device 12, and transfers new masks stored in other cassettes in the mask stock device 12 to the film formation device 11.

The relay apparatus connecting the plurality of cluster apparatuses 1 includes a pass chamber 15 for transporting substrates W between the cluster apparatuses 1 .
The transfer robot 14 in the transfer chamber 13 receives the substrate W from the upstream pass chamber 15 and transfers it to one (e.g., the film formation apparatus 11a) of the film formation apparatuses 11 in the cluster apparatus 1. The transfer robot 14 also receives the substrate W for which film formation processing in the cluster apparatus 1 has been completed from one (e.g., the film formation apparatus 11e) of the plurality of film formation apparatuses 11 and transfers it to the pass chamber 15 connected downstream.

In addition to the pass chamber 15, the relay apparatus may further include a buffer chamber (not shown) for absorbing the difference in processing speed of the substrate W in the upstream and downstream cluster apparatuses 1, and a turning chamber (not shown) for changing the direction of the substrate W. For example, the buffer chamber includes a substrate loading section for temporarily storing a plurality of substrates W, and the turning chamber includes a substrate rotating mechanism (e.g., a rotating stage or a transport robot) for rotating the substrate W by 180 degrees. This ensures that the orientation of the substrate W is the same in the upstream cluster apparatus and the downstream cluster apparatus, facilitating substrate processing.
The pass chamber 15 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a substrate rotating mechanism and a substrate loading unit (not shown) for temporarily storing a plurality of substrates W. In other words, the pass chamber 15 may also function as a buffer chamber and a turning chamber.

The film forming device 11, mask stock device 12, transfer chamber 13, and other components of the cluster device 1 are maintained in a high vacuum state during the manufacturing process of the organic light-emitting device. The pass chamber 15 of the relay device is usually maintained in a low vacuum state, but may be maintained in a high vacuum state if necessary.

After the deposition of the multiple layers that make up the organic EL element is completed, the substrate W is transported to a sealing device (not shown) for sealing the organic EL element, a cutting device (not shown) for cutting the substrate to a specified panel size, etc.

In this embodiment, the configuration of the electronic device manufacturing apparatus has been described with reference to FIG. 1, but the present invention is not limited to this and may have other types of apparatus and chambers, and the arrangement of these apparatus and chambers may be changed.

For example, an electronic device manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may be an in-line type rather than the cluster type shown in FIG. 1. In other words, the apparatus may have a configuration in which the substrate W and mask M are mounted on a carrier and film formation is performed while being transported through a row of multiple film formation apparatuses. The apparatus may also have a structure that combines the cluster type and in-line types. For example, the process up to the formation of the organic layer may be performed in a cluster type manufacturing apparatus, and the process of forming the electrode layer (cathode layer) through the sealing process and cutting process may be performed in an in-line type manufacturing apparatus.

The specific configuration of the film forming apparatus 11 will be described below.
<Film forming equipment>
2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a film forming apparatus 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is used in which the vertical direction is the Z direction and the horizontal plane is the XY plane. The rotation angle around the X axis is represented by _θX , the rotation angle around the Y axis by _θY , and the rotation angle around the Z axis by _θZ .
FIG. 2 shows an example of a film forming apparatus 11 that heats and evaporates or sublimes a film forming material to form a film on a substrate W through a mask M.

The film forming apparatus 11 includes a vacuum vessel 21 maintained in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas, a magnetic levitation stage mechanism 22 provided in the vacuum vessel 21 for adjusting the position of the substrate W at least in the X direction, Y direction, and _θZ direction, a mask support unit 23 provided in the vacuum vessel 21 for supporting a mask M, a substrate attracting means 24 provided in the vacuum vessel 21 for attracting and holding the substrate W, and a film forming source 25 provided in the vacuum vessel for storing a film forming material and for granulating and releasing the same during film formation.
The film forming apparatus 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a magnetic force applying unit 26 for closely contacting the mask M to the substrate W side by magnetic force.

The vacuum vessel 21 of the film forming apparatus 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a first vacuum vessel section 211 in which the magnetic levitation stage mechanism 22 is disposed, and a second vacuum vessel section 212 in which the film forming source 25 is disposed, and the entire internal space of the vacuum vessel 21 is maintained in a high vacuum state by, for example, a vacuum pump (not shown) connected to the second vacuum vessel section 212.

Further, an expandable member 213 is installed at least between the first vacuum container part 211 and the second vacuum container part 212. The expandable member 213 reduces the transmission of vibrations from a vacuum pump connected to the second vacuum container part 212 and vibrations from a floor on which the film forming apparatus 11 is installed to the first vacuum container part 211 through the second vacuum container part 212. The expandable member 213 may be, for example, a bellows, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and other members may be used as long as they can reduce the transmission of vibrations between the first vacuum container part 211 and the second vacuum container part 212.

In this way, the film forming apparatus 11 according to one embodiment of the present invention divides the vacuum vessel 21 into multiple vessel sections (e.g., a first vacuum vessel section 211 and a second vacuum vessel section 212) and provides an expandable member 213 between them, thereby reducing the transmission of external vibrations to the first vacuum vessel section 211 in which the magnetic levitation stage mechanism 22 is installed.

The vacuum vessel 21 further includes a reference plate 214 to which the magnetic levitation stage mechanism 22 is fixedly connected, and a reference plate support part 215 for supporting the reference plate 214 at a predetermined height. In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, an expandable member 213 may be further installed between the reference plate 214 and the first vacuum vessel part 211. This can further reduce the transmission of external vibrations to the magnetic levitation stage mechanism 22 via the reference plate 214.

A vibration isolation unit 216 is installed between the reference plate support 215 and the installation stand 217 of the film forming apparatus 11 to reduce the transmission of vibrations from the floor to the reference plate support 215 through the installation stand 217 of the film forming apparatus 11.

The magnetic levitation stage mechanism 22 is a stage mechanism for adjusting the position of the substrate W or the substrate adsorption means 24 by a magnetic levitation linear motor, and adjusts the position of the substrate W or the substrate adsorption means 24 in at least the X direction, the Y direction, and the _θZ direction, and preferably in six directions, namely the X direction, the _Y direction, the Z direction, the _θX direction, the θY direction, and the _θZ direction.
The X direction and the Y direction are parallel to the suction surface of the substrate suction means 24, one of the X direction and the Y direction corresponds to a first direction, and the other corresponds to a second direction intersecting with the first direction. The Z direction is a direction intersecting with both the X direction and the Y direction and corresponds to a third direction. _{The θZ} direction corresponds to a rotation direction centered on the Z direction. For example, when the X direction is the first direction, the _θX direction corresponds to a rotation direction centered on the first direction, and the _θY direction corresponds to a rotation direction centered on the second direction.
The magnetic levitation stage mechanism 22 includes a stage reference plate portion 221 (first plate portion) that functions as a fixed base, a fine movement stage plate portion 222 (second plate portion) that functions as a movable base, and a magnetic levitation unit 223 for magnetically levitating and moving the fine movement stage plate portion 222 relative to the stage reference plate portion 221. A specific configuration of the magnetic levitation stage mechanism 22 will be described later with reference to Figures 3A to 3D.

The mask supporting unit 23 is a means for receiving and holding the mask M transported by the transport robot 14 provided in the transport chamber 13, and is also called a mask holder.
The mask support unit 23 is installed so as to be able to rise and fall at least in the vertical direction. This allows easy adjustment of the vertical distance between the substrate W and the mask M. When the position of the substrate W is adjusted by the magnetic levitation stage mechanism 22 as in one embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable that the mask support unit 23 supporting the mask M is mechanically driven to rise and fall by a motor (not shown) and a ball screw/guide (not shown).

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the mask support unit 23 may be installed so as to be movable in horizontal directions (i.e., in the X, Y, _{θ and Z} directions), so that even if the mask M falls out of the field of view of the alignment camera, it can be quickly moved into the field of view.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the mask M and the substrate W are aligned relative to each other in the alignment process, the mask M may be movable with the mask support unit relative to the substrate M. Alternatively, both the mask support unit supporting the mask M and the substrate support unit supporting the substrate W may be movable relative to each other. When the mask support unit is made movable in this way, a magnetic levitation mechanism similar to the magnetic levitation stage mechanism 22 described above may be adopted as its driving source. The magnetic levitation mechanism for the mask moves the mask support unit in, for example, a first direction (X direction) in a plane parallel to the mask surface, a second direction (Y direction) intersecting the first direction, and a rotation direction (θ _Z direction) centered on a direction intersecting the mask surface (a third direction intersecting both the first direction and the second direction). More preferably, the magnetic levitation mechanism for the mask drives the mask support unit in the Z direction, the θ _X direction, and the θ _Y direction.

The mask supporting unit 23 further includes a mask pickup 231 for temporarily receiving the mask M carried into the vacuum vessel 21 by the transfer robot 14 .
The mask pickup 231 is configured to be able to rise and fall relative to the mask support surface of the mask support unit 23. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the mask pickup 231 can be configured to be able to rise and fall relative to the mask support surface of the mask support unit 23 by a mask pickup lifting mechanism 232. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other configurations may be used as long as the mask pickup 231 and the mask support surface of the mask support unit 23 can rise and fall relatively. For example, the mask pickup 231 may be fixed to the reference plate 214 or the stage reference plate portion 221 of the magnetic levitation stage mechanism 22, and the mask support unit 23 may be configured to be able to rise and fall. Alternatively, both the mask pickup 231 and the mask support unit 23 may be configured to be able to rise and fall.

The mask pickup 231, which receives the mask M from the hand of the transport robot 14, descends relative to the mask support surface of the mask support unit 23 and places the mask M on the mask support unit 23. Conversely, when a used mask M is to be removed, the mask M is lifted from the mask support surface of the mask support unit 23 so that the hand of the transport robot 14 can receive the mask M.

The mask M has an opening pattern corresponding to the thin film pattern formed on the substrate W, and is supported by a mask supporting unit 23. For example, the mask M used to manufacture an organic EL display panel for a VR-HMD includes a fine metal mask, which is a metallic mask in which a fine opening pattern corresponding to the RGB pixel pattern of the light-emitting layer of the organic EL element is formed, and an open mask used to form common layers (such as a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer) of the organic EL element.
The opening pattern of the mask M is defined by a blocking pattern that does not allow particles of the deposition material to pass through.

The substrate suction means 24 is a means for suctioning and holding the substrate W as a film-formed object transported by the transport robot 14 installed in the transport chamber 13. The substrate suction means 24 is installed on the fine movement stage plate portion 222 which is a movable base of the magnetic levitation stage mechanism 22.
The substrate attracting means 24 is, for example, an electrostatic chuck having a structure in which an electric circuit such as a metal electrode is embedded in a dielectric/insulating (for example, ceramic material) matrix.

The electrostatic chuck serving as substrate attracting means 24 may be a Coulomb force type electrostatic chuck in which a dielectric having a relatively high resistance is interposed between the electrode and the attracting surface, and attraction is achieved by the Coulomb force between the electrode and the object to be attracted, a Johnsen-Rahbek force type electrostatic chuck in which a dielectric having a relatively low resistance is interposed between the electrode and the attracting surface, and attraction is achieved by the Johnsen-Rahbek force generated between the attracting surface of the dielectric and the object to be attracted, or a gradient force type electrostatic chuck in which the object to be attracted is attracted by a non-uniform electric field.

When the object to be attracted is a conductor or a semiconductor (silicon wafer), it is preferable to use a Coulomb force type electrostatic chuck or a Johnsen-Rahbek force type electrostatic chuck, and when the object to be attracted is an insulator such as glass, it is preferable to use a gradient force type electrostatic chuck.
The electrostatic chuck may be formed of one plate or may be formed to have multiple sub-plates. Even if it is formed of one plate, it may have multiple electric circuits therein and control the electrostatic attractive force to be different depending on the position within the plate.

In addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, instead of the substrate suction means 24, substrate support means that supports the substrate on the support surface can be used that supports the substrate by a method other than suction, such as clamping with a clamping mechanism or placing on a receiving claw.

Although not shown in FIG. 2, the film forming apparatus 11 may further include a substrate supporting unit that temporarily holds the substrate W that has been brought into the vacuum chamber 21 by the transport robot 14 before the substrate suction means 24 suctions and holds the substrate W. For example, the substrate supporting unit may be installed so as to have a separate substrate supporting surface on the mask supporting unit 23, and may be installed so as to rise and fall as the mask supporting unit 23 rises and falls.

Although not shown in FIG. 2, a cooling means (e.g., a cooling plate) for suppressing a rise in temperature of the substrate W may be provided on the side opposite the suction surface of the substrate suction means 24, thereby suppressing alteration or deterioration of the organic material deposited on the substrate W.

The film formation source 25 includes a crucible (not shown) for storing a film formation material to be formed on the substrate W, a heater (not shown) for heating the crucible, and a shutter (not shown) for preventing the film formation material from scattering onto the substrate until the evaporation rate from the film formation source 25 becomes constant. The film formation source 25 can have various configurations according to the application, such as a point film formation source or a linear film formation source.
The film formation source 25 may include a plurality of crucibles each containing a different film formation material. In such a configuration, the plurality of crucibles each containing a different film formation material may be installed so as to be movable to a film formation position so that the film formation material can be changed without opening the vacuum vessel 21 to the atmosphere.

The magnetic force application means 26 is a means for attracting and closely adhering the mask M to the substrate W side by magnetic force during the film formation process, and is installed so that it can be raised and lowered vertically. For example, the magnetic force application means 26 is composed of an electromagnet and/or a permanent magnet. The substrate attraction means 24 may be configured to attract not only the substrate W but also the mask M. For example, when a gradient force type electrostatic chuck is used as the substrate attraction means 24, the attraction/non-attraction of the substrate W and mask M can be controlled by controlling the voltage applied to the electrostatic chuck.

The film forming apparatus 11 may include a film thickness monitor (not shown) and a film thickness calculation unit (not shown) for measuring the thickness of the film deposited on the substrate.

A mask pickup lifting mechanism 232 for lifting and lowering the mask pickup 231, a magnetic force application means lifting mechanism 261 for lifting and lowering the magnetic force application means 26, etc. are installed on the upper outside (atmosphere side) of the vacuum vessel 21, i.e., on the reference plate 214. A mask support unit lifting mechanism (not shown) for lifting and lowering the mask support unit 23 may be installed on the reference plate 214, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the mask support unit lifting mechanism (not shown) may be installed on the atmosphere side of the lower part of the first vacuum vessel (211).

The film forming apparatus 11 according to one embodiment of the present invention further includes an alignment camera unit 27 that is installed on the upper outside (atmosphere side) of the vacuum vessel 21 and that photographs alignment marks formed on the substrate W and mask M.
In this embodiment, the alignment camera unit 27 can include a rough alignment camera used to roughly adjust the relative positions of the substrate W and the mask M, and a fine alignment camera used to highly accurately adjust the relative positions of the substrate W and the mask M. The rough alignment camera has a relatively wide viewing angle and low resolution, while the fine alignment camera has a relatively narrow viewing angle but high resolution.

The rough alignment camera and the fine alignment camera are installed at positions corresponding to the alignment marks formed on the substrate W and the mask M. For example, the fine alignment cameras are installed so that four cameras form the four corners of a rectangle, and the rough alignment cameras are installed at the center of two opposing sides of the rectangle. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other arrangements may be used depending on the positions of the alignment marks on the substrate W and the mask M.

2, the alignment camera unit 27 of the film forming apparatus 11 according to one embodiment of the present invention is installed so as to enter the inside of the vacuum vessel 21 from the upper atmosphere side of the vacuum vessel 21 through the reference plate 214. For this reason, the alignment camera unit 27 includes a vacuum compatible cylinder (not shown) that surrounds and seals the alignment camera arranged on the atmosphere side.
In this way, by installing the alignment camera so as to enter inside the vacuum vessel 21 via the vacuum compatible cylinder, it is possible to focus on the alignment marks formed on the substrate W and mask M even if the substrate W and mask M are supported relatively far away from the reference plate 214 by the operation of the magnetic levitation stage mechanism 22. The position of the bottom end of the vacuum compatible cylinder can be appropriately determined according to the focal depth of the alignment camera and the distance at which the substrate W/mask M are separated from the reference plate 214.
Although not shown in Figure 2, since the inside of the vacuum container 21 which is sealed during the film formation process is dark, an illumination light source may be installed to illuminate the alignment mark so that the alignment mark can be photographed by an alignment camera inserted inside the vacuum container 21.

The film forming apparatus 11 includes a control unit 100. The control unit has functions of controlling the transportation and alignment of the substrate W/mask M, controlling film formation, etc. The control unit may also have a function of controlling the application of a voltage to an electrostatic chuck.
The control unit can be configured, for example, by a computer having a processor, memory, storage, I/O, etc. In this case, the function of the control unit is realized by the processor executing a program stored in the memory or storage. As the computer, a general-purpose personal computer may be used, or an embedded computer or a PLC (programmable logic controller) may be used. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the control unit may be configured with a circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA. In addition, a control unit may be installed for each film forming apparatus, or one control unit may be configured to control multiple film forming apparatuses.

<Magnetic levitation stage mechanism>
A magnetic levitation stage mechanism 22 according to one embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Figures 3A-3D, 4A, 4B and 5.
FIG. 3A is a schematic plan view of magnetic levitation stage mechanism 22 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 3B-3D are schematic cross-sectional views.

As described above, the magnetic levitation stage mechanism 22 includes a stage reference plate portion 221 that functions as a fixed base, a fine movement stage plate portion 222 that functions as a movable base, and a magnetic levitation unit 223 for magnetically levitating and moving the fine movement stage plate portion 222 relative to the stage reference plate portion 221.

The stage reference plate part 221 is a member that serves as a reference for the movement of the fine movement stage plate part 222, and is installed so that its position is fixed. For example, as shown in Fig. 2, the stage reference plate part 221 is installed so as to be fixed to the reference plate 214 of the vacuum vessel 21 in parallel to the XY plane. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the stage reference plate part 221 may be fixed to another member (for example, another reference frame) instead of being directly fixed to the reference plate 214, as long as its position can be fixed.
Since the stage reference plate portion 221 is a member that serves as the reference for the movement of the fine-motion stage plate portion 222, it is preferable that it be installed using the expandable member 213 and the vibration isolation unit 216, etc., so that it is not affected by external disturbances such as vibrations from the vacuum pump or the floor.

The fine movement stage plate portion 222 is movably installed relative to the stage reference plate portion 221, and a substrate adsorption means 24 such as an electrostatic chuck is installed on one main surface (e.g., the lower surface) of the fine movement stage plate portion 222. Therefore, by moving the fine movement stage plate portion 222, the positions of the substrate adsorption means 24 and the substrate W adsorbed thereto can be adjusted.

The magnetic levitation unit 223 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a magnetic levitation linear motor 31 for generating a driving force to move the fine-motion stage plate portion 222, which is a movable base, relative to the stage reference plate portion 221, which is a fixed base, a position measuring means for measuring the position of the fine-motion stage plate portion 222, a weight compensation means 33 for compensating for gravity acting on the fine-motion stage plate portion 222 by providing a levitation force that levitates the fine-motion stage plate portion 222 relative to the stage reference plate portion 221, and an origin positioning means 34 for determining the origin position of the fine-motion stage plate portion 222.

The magnetically levitated linear motor 31 is a driving source that generates a driving force for moving the fine-motion stage plate portion 222, and includes, for example, as shown in FIG. 3A, two X-direction magnetically levitated linear motors 311 that generate a driving force for moving the fine-motion stage plate portion 222 in the X-direction, two Y-direction magnetically levitated linear motors 312 that generate a driving force for moving the fine-motion stage plate portion 222 in the Y-direction, and three Z-direction magnetically levitated linear motors 313 that generate a driving force for moving the fine-motion stage plate portion 222 in the Z-direction.

Using these multiple magnetically levitated linear motors 31, the fine movement stage plate portion 222 can be moved in six degrees of freedom (X direction, Y direction, Z direction, _θX direction, _θY direction, and _θZ direction).
For example, translational movements in the X, Y, and Z directions can be realized by driving the X-direction magnetically levitated linear motor 311, the Y-direction magnetically levitated linear motor 312, and the Z-direction magnetically levitated linear motor 313 in the same direction.

The rotational movement in the _θZ direction can be realized by adjusting the driving directions of the two X-direction magnetically levitated linear motors 311 and the two Y-direction magnetically levitated linear motors 312. For example, the fine movement stage plate unit 222 can be rotated counterclockwise around the Z axis by driving the X-direction magnetically levitated linear motor 311a in the +X direction, the X-direction magnetically levitated linear motor 311b in the -X direction, the Y-direction magnetically levitated linear motor 312a in the +Y direction, and the Y-direction magnetically levitated linear motor 312b in the -Y direction.
Similarly, movements in the θ _X direction and the θ _Y direction can be realized by adjusting the driving directions of the three Z direction magnetic levitation linear motors 313 .
The number and arrangement of magnetic levitation linear motors 31 shown in FIG. 3A are exemplary, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and other numbers and arrangements may be used as long as the fine movement stage plate portion 222 can be moved in the desired direction.

In the present invention, by employing a magnetic levitation stage mechanism 22 instead of an alignment stage using a mechanical motor and ball screw/linear guide, the accuracy of position adjustment of the substrate W can be further improved.
Furthermore, unlike mechanical stage mechanisms, the magnetic levitation stage mechanism 22 is less susceptible to contamination by particles or evaporation of a lubricant, and it becomes possible to install the magnetic levitation stage mechanism 22 inside the vacuum vessel 21. This reduces the distance between the means for holding the substrate W (substrate attracting means 24) and the stage mechanism, making it possible to suppress amplification of the effect on the substrate attracting means 24 of oscillations and disturbances caused when the stage mechanism is driven.

Figure 4A is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the Z-direction magnetically levitated linear motor 313, and Figure 4b is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the X-direction magnetically levitated linear motor 311 or the Y-direction magnetically levitated linear motor 312.

The magnetic levitation linear motor 31 includes a stator 314 installed on the stage reference plate portion 221, and a mover 315 installed on the fine movement stage plate portion 222. The stator 314 may be installed on one of the stage reference plate portion 221 and the fine movement stage plate portion 222, and the mover 315 may be installed on the other.
As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the stator 314 of the magnetic levitation linear motor 31 includes a magnetic field generating means, for example, a coil 3141 through which a current flows, and the mover 315 includes a magnetic material, for example, a permanent magnet 3151.

The magnetically levitated linear motor 31 applies a driving force to the permanent magnet 3151 of the mover 315 by a magnetic field generated by passing a current through the coil 3141 of the stator 314. The magnetically levitated linear motor 31 can adjust the direction of the force applied to the permanent magnet 3151, which is the mover 315, by adjusting the direction of the current flowing through the stator 314.
For example, as shown in (b) of Fig. 4A, when the direction of the current flowing through the coil 3141 of the stator 314 is made counterclockwise on the paper, an N pole is induced on the left side (-X side) of the coil 3141 in (a) of Fig. 4A, and an S pole is induced on the right side (+X side), so that the mover 315 receives a force in the downward (-Z) direction. Conversely, when the direction of the current flowing through the coil 3141 is made clockwise, the mover 315 can be moved in the upward (+Z) direction.

Similarly, the X-direction magnetically levitated linear motor 311 and the Y-direction magnetically levitated linear motor 312 shown in FIG. 4B can also move the mover 315 in the X-direction and Y-direction, respectively, by controlling the direction of the current flowing through the coil 3141 of the stator 314.

The position measuring means of the magnetic levitation unit 223 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a means for measuring the position of the fine movement stage plate part 222, and includes a laser interferometer 32 and a reflecting part 324 installed on the fine movement stage plate part 222 to face the laser interferometer 32. The reflecting part 324 may be, for example, a plane mirror.
The laser interferometer 32 irradiates a measurement beam onto a reflector 324 provided on the fine movement stage plate section 222, and detects the reflected beam to measure the position of the reflector 324 (the position of the fine movement stage plate section 222). More specifically, the laser interferometer 32 can measure the position of the fine movement stage plate section 222 based on the interference light between the reflected light of the measurement beam and the reflected light of the reference beam.

The position measurement means of the magnetic levitation unit 223 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an X-direction position measurement section for measuring the position of the fine movement stage plate section 222 in the X-direction, a Y-direction position measurement section for measuring the position in the Y-direction, and a Z-direction position measurement section for measuring the position in the Z-direction.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the laser interferometer 32 of the position measuring means according to one embodiment of the present invention includes two X-direction laser interferometers 321 for detecting the position of the fine movement stage plate part 222 in the X-axis direction, one Y-direction laser interferometer 322 for detecting the position of the fine movement stage plate part 222 in the Y-axis direction, and three Z-direction laser interferometers 323 for detecting the position of the fine movement stage plate part 222 in the Z-axis direction.

The fine movement stage plate section 222 has a reflector 324 that reflects the measurement beams from these laser interferometers 32, and the reflector 32 is installed facing the laser interferometer 32. For example, the reflector 324 includes an X-direction reflector 3241 installed facing the X-direction laser interferometer 321, a Y-direction reflector 3242 installed facing the Y-direction laser interferometer 322, and a Z-direction reflector 3243 installed facing the Z-direction laser interferometer 323.

The X-direction position measurement unit includes an X-direction laser interferometer 321 and an X-direction reflector 3241, the Y-direction position measurement unit includes a Y-direction laser interferometer 322 and a Y-direction reflector 3242, and the Z-direction position measurement unit includes a Z-direction laser interferometer 323 and a Z-direction reflector 3243.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A, the X-direction reflecting portion 3241 and the Z-direction reflecting portion 3243 are plane mirrors installed on the side and top surfaces of a single member, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other structures and arrangements may be used as long as each reflecting portion 324 can reflect the measurement beam from the laser interferometer 32 facing it back to the laser interferometer 32.

With such a configuration of the position measuring means, the position of the fine movement stage plate unit 222 can be precisely measured with six degrees of freedom. That is, the X-direction laser interferometer 321, the Y-direction laser interferometer 322, and the Z-direction laser interferometer 323 can measure the X-direction position, the Y-direction position, and the Z-direction position of the fine movement stage plate unit 222. Moreover, by installing a plurality of X-direction laser interferometers 321, the position in the rotational direction (θ _Z ) about the Z axis can also be measured. Moreover, by installing a plurality of Z-direction laser interferometers 323, the position in the rotational direction (θ _X or θ _Y ) about the X-axis and/or the Y-axis (that is, the tilt angle of the fine movement stage plate unit 222) can also be measured.

3A and 3B, other numbers and arrangements may be used as long as the position of the fine movement stage plate section 222 in six degrees of freedom (X, Y, Z, _θX , _θY , _θZ ) can be measured. For example, the number of X-direction laser interferometers may be reduced from two to only one, and the number of Y-direction laser interferometers may be reduced from one to two.

The control unit of the film forming apparatus 11 according to one embodiment of the present invention controls the magnetic levitation linear motor 31 based on position information of the fine movement stage plate unit 222 (or the substrate suction means 24 installed thereon) measured by the laser interferometer 32. For example, the control unit of the film forming apparatus 11 moves the fine movement stage plate unit 222 or the substrate suction means 24 to a positioning target position determined by the position of the fine movement stage plate unit 222 or the substrate suction means 24 measured by the laser interferometer 32 and the relative positional deviation between the substrate W and the mask M measured by the alignment camera unit 27. This allows the position of the fine movement stage plate unit 222 or the substrate suction means 24 to be controlled with high precision in nanometer units.

In this embodiment, a configuration using a laser interferometer as a means for measuring the position of the fine movement stage plate portion 222 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other position measurement means may be used as long as they are capable of measuring the position of the fine movement stage plate portion 222.

The weight compensation means 33 is a means for compensating for the weight of the fine movement stage plate part 222. For example, as shown in Fig. 3D and Fig. 5, the weight compensation means 33 according to an embodiment of the present invention generates a levitation force corresponding to the gravity acting on the fine movement stage plate part 222 in the opposite direction to gravity by using a repulsive force or an attractive force between a first magnet part 331 provided on the stage reference plate part 221 side and a second magnet part 332 provided on the fine movement stage plate part 222 side.
The first magnet section 331 and the second magnet section 332 may be composed of electromagnets or permanent magnets. In the first magnet section 331 and the second magnet section 332 shown in Fig. 3D and Fig. 5, the parts hatched with lines slanting downward to the right and the parts hatched with lines slanting upward to the right indicate different magnetic poles (S poles or N poles), respectively.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3D, by arranging the first magnet section 331 provided on the stage reference plate section 221 side and the second magnet section 332 provided on the fine movement stage plate section 222 side so that their magnetic poles of opposite polarity face each other, the first magnet section 331 provided on the stage reference plate section 221 side can attract the second magnet section 332 provided on the fine movement stage plate section 222 side upward, thereby offsetting the gravity acting on the fine movement stage plate section 222.

Alternatively, the gravity of the fine-motion stage plate portion 222 can be offset by the repulsive force between the first magnet portion 331 provided on the stage reference plate portion 221 side and the second magnet portion 332 provided on the fine-motion stage plate portion 222 side.
5, the first magnet section 331 and the second magnet section 332 may be arranged so that their magnetic poles of the same polarity face each other, and a spacer 333 extending in the Z direction may be interposed between the fine movement stage plate section 222 and the second magnet section 332, so that the lower end (end) of the second magnet section 332 is higher than the lower end (end) of the first magnet section 331. In other words, the length of the spacer 333 in the Z direction is set so that the lower end of the second magnet section 332 provided on the fine movement stage plate section 222 side is higher than the lower end of the first magnet section 331 provided on the stage reference plate section 221 side (i.e., farther from the fine movement stage plate section 222).
With the configuration shown in Figure 5, the second magnet section 332 provided on the fine movement stage plate section 222 side receives an upward repulsive force from the first magnet section 331 provided on the stage reference plate section 221 side, thereby offsetting the gravity acting on the fine movement stage plate section 222.

In order to more stably support the fine movement stage plate portion 222, it is preferable to install the weight compensation means 33 at at least three positions in the XY plane, as shown in FIG. 3A. For example, it is preferable to install them symmetrically around the center of gravity of the fine movement stage plate portion 222.

In this way, in the film forming apparatus 11 according to one embodiment of the present invention, by employing the weight compensation means 33, it is possible to reduce the load on the magnetically levitated linear motor 31 and reduce the heat generated by the magnetically levitated linear motor 31. This makes it possible to suppress thermal denaturation of the organic material formed on the substrate W.

In other words, if the weight of the fine movement stage plate portion 222 were to be supported only by the Z-direction magnetically levitated linear motor 313 without using the weight compensation means 33, an excessive load would be placed on the Z-direction magnetically levitated linear motor 313, generating considerable heat, which could result in denaturation of the organic material deposited on the substrate W. In this embodiment, the gravity acting on the fine movement stage plate portion 222 is offset by the weight compensation means 33, so the Z-direction magnetically levitated linear motor 313 only needs to provide a driving force for fine movement in the Z direction to the fine movement stage plate portion 222 levitated by the weight compensation means 33, thereby reducing the load.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the weight compensation means 33 is embodied as a magnet, but the present invention is not limited to this and may have other configurations as long as it can offset the gravity of the fine movement stage plate portion 222 and lift it.

The origin positioning means 34 of the magnetic levitation unit 223 according to one embodiment of the present invention is a means for determining the origin position of the fine movement stage plate part 222, and may be composed of a kinematic coupling including a triangular pyramidal recess 341 and a hemispherical protrusion 342.
3C, a triangular pyramidal recess 341 is provided on the side of the stage reference plate portion 221, and a hemispherical protrusion 342 is provided on the side of the fine movement stage plate portion 222. When the hemispherical protrusion 342 is inserted into the triangular pyramidal recess 341, the hemispherical protrusion 342 comes into contact with the inner surface of the triangular pyramidal recess 341 at three fulcrums, and the position of the fine movement stage plate portion 222 is determined.

3A, three such kinematic coupling type origin positioning means 34 are installed at equal intervals (for example, 120° intervals) around the center of the fine movement stage plate section 222 on a plane including the X and Y directions, thereby making it possible to determine a constant position of the center of the fine movement stage plate section 222. In other words, when the fine movement stage plate section 222 is brought close to the stage reference plate section 221 and the convex portions 342 of the three origin positioning means are seated in the concave portions 341, the position of the fine movement stage plate section 222 is measured by the laser interferometer 32, and this is set as the origin position.
In the film forming apparatus 11 according to one embodiment of the present invention, by adopting three kinematic couplings as the origin positioning means 34, the origin position of the fine-motion stage plate portion 222 can be determined to be constant, and the position control of the fine-motion stage plate 222 can be performed more precisely.

Thus, according to the film formation apparatus 11 according to one embodiment of the present invention, by using a magnetic levitation drive mechanism (magnetic levitation linear motor) instead of a mechanical drive mechanism, the stage and its drive mechanism can be placed inside the vacuum vessel 21 of the film formation apparatus 11, and the effects of vibration due to disturbances can be effectively reduced. In addition, the oscillation due to mechanical drive can be reduced, and as a result, the accuracy of substrate position adjustment can be improved. Furthermore, by employing a position measurement means including a laser interferometer 32, a weight compensation means 33, and an origin positioning means 34 consisting of a kinematic coupling, the accuracy of substrate position adjustment can be further improved.

<Alignment method>
An alignment method for adjusting the relative positions of the substrate W and mask M using the magnetic levitation stage mechanism 22 of the present invention will now be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG.

First, the mask M and the substrate W are loaded into the vacuum vessel 21 and supported by the mask support unit 23 and the substrate support unit, respectively (step S101).

The substrate W supported by the substrate supporting unit is moved towards the substrate attracting means 24 installed on the fine movement stage plate portion 222 of the magnetic levitation stage mechanism 22 .
When the substrate W approaches sufficiently close to the substrate attracting means 24, a substrate attracting voltage is applied to the substrate attracting means 24, and the substrate W is attracted to the substrate attracting means 24 by electrostatic attraction. When attracting the substrate W to the substrate attracting means 24, the entire surface of the substrate W may be attracted simultaneously to the entire attracting surface of the substrate attracting means 24, or the substrate W may be attracted sequentially from one region to another among the multiple regions of the substrate attracting means 24 (step S102).

Next, the control unit of the film forming apparatus 11 drives the mask support unit lifting mechanism to bring the substrate adsorption means 24 and the mask support unit 23 relatively closer to each other. At this time, the control unit brings the substrate adsorption means 24 and the mask support unit 23 relatively closer to each other (e.g., lifts the mask support unit 23) until the distance between the substrate W adsorbed to the substrate adsorption means 24 and the mask M supported by the mask support unit 23 becomes a preset rough alignment measurement distance.
When the distance between the substrate W and the mask M reaches the rough alignment measurement distance, the alignment marks of the substrate W and the mask M are imaged by a rough alignment camera to measure the relative positions of the substrate W and the mask M in the X, Y, θ, and _Z directions, and based on this, the amount of relative positional deviation between them is calculated (step S103).

The control unit calculates the coordinates of the target movement position of the fine-motion stage plate portion 222 (or the substrate suction means 24) based on the position of the fine-motion stage plate portion 222 (or the substrate suction means 24) measured by the laser interferometer 32 and the amount of positional deviation calculated by the rough alignment camera.
Based on the coordinates of the target movement position, the position of the fine movement stage plate part 222 is measured by the laser interferometer 32, while the fine movement stage plate part 222 (or the substrate attracting means 24) is driven in the X, Y, θ, and _Z directions by the magnetic levitation linear motor 31 to the target movement position, thereby adjusting the relative positions of the substrate W and mask M. In the rough alignment, the fine movement stage plate part 222 is moved by the magnetic levitation linear motor 31 as described above, but rough alignment may also be performed by moving the mask support unit 23 in the X, Y, θ, _{and Z} directions depending on the amount of positional deviation between the substrate W and mask M (step S104).

When the rough alignment is completed, the mask support unit 23 is further raised by the mask support unit lifting mechanism until the mask M reaches a fine alignment measurement position relative to the substrate W.
When the mask M reaches the fine alignment measurement position relative to the substrate W, the alignment marks of the substrate W and mask M are imaged by a fine alignment camera, and the relative positional deviations between the substrate W and mask M in the X, Y, θ and _Z directions are measured (step S105).

If the amount of relative positional deviation between the substrate W and mask M at the fine alignment measurement position is greater than a predetermined threshold value, the mask M is lowered again to separate the substrate W and mask M, and then a target movement position for the fine movement stage plate portion 222 is calculated based on the position of the fine movement stage plate portion 222 measured by the laser interferometer 32 and the amount of relative positional deviation between the substrate W and mask M.
Based on the calculated target movement position, the position of the fine movement stage plate part 222 is measured by the laser interferometer 32, while the magnetically levitated linear motor 31 drives the fine movement stage plate part 222 in the _XYθZ directions to the target movement position, thereby adjusting the relative positions of the substrate W and mask M (step S106).

This process is repeated until the amount of relative positional deviation between the substrate W and the mask M becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold value.
When the amount of relative positional deviation between the substrate W and the mask M becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold value, the mask support unit 23 is raised so that the deposition surface of the substrate W adsorbed to the substrate adsorption means 24 is in a deposition position where it comes into contact with the upper surface of the mask M.
When the deposition position where the substrate W and the mask M come into contact with each other is reached, the magnetic force application means 261 is lowered to attract the mask M over the substrate W, thereby bringing the substrate W and the mask M into close contact with each other (step S107).

In this process, in order to check whether any positional deviation has occurred between the substrate W and the mask M in the X, Y, θ, _{and Z} directions, the relative positions of the substrate W and the mask M are measured using a fine alignment camera. If the amount of deviation in the measured relative position is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the substrate W and the mask M are again separated to a predetermined distance (for example, by lowering the mask support unit 23), and then the relative position between the substrate W and the mask M is adjusted, and the same process is repeated (step S108).

When the substrate W and mask M are positioned at the deposition position and the relative positional deviation between the substrate W and mask M becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold, the alignment process is completed and the film formation process is started (step S109).

<Film formation process>
A film forming method employing the alignment method according to this embodiment will be described below.
Alignment is performed according to the alignment method of this embodiment described above, and when the amount of deviation in the relative position between the substrate W and the mask M becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold value, the control unit opens the shutter of the film formation source 25 and deposits the film formation material on the substrate S through the mask.

After deposition to a desired thickness, the magnetic force applying means 26 is raised to separate the mask M and make it supported by the mask supporting unit 23, and then the mask supporting unit 23 is lowered.
Next, the hand of the transport robot 14 enters the vacuum chamber 21 of the film forming apparatus 11, and a substrate separation voltage of zero (0) or reverse polarity is applied to the electrode portion of the substrate adsorption means 24 to separate the substrate W from the substrate adsorption means 24. The separated substrate is carried out of the vacuum chamber 21 by the transport robot 14.

In the above description, the film forming apparatus 11 is configured in a so-called upward deposition (deposit up) manner, in which film formation is performed with the film-forming surface of the substrate W facing vertically downward. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the substrate W may be arranged vertically on the side of the vacuum vessel 21, and film formation may be performed with the film-forming surface of the substrate W parallel to the direction of gravity.

<Method of Manufacturing Electronic Device>
Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an electronic device using the film forming apparatus of this embodiment will be described below. As an example of the electronic device, the configuration of an organic EL display device and a method for manufacturing the same will be described.

First, the organic EL display device to be manufactured will be described. Figure 6(a) shows an overall view of the organic EL display device 60, and Figure 6(b) shows the cross-sectional structure of one pixel.

6A, a plurality of pixels 62 each including a plurality of light-emitting elements are arranged in a matrix in a display area 61 of an organic EL display device 60. As will be described in detail later, each of the light-emitting elements has a structure including an organic layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes. Note that the pixel referred to here refers to the smallest unit that allows a desired color to be displayed in the display area 61.
In the case of the organic EL display device according to the present embodiment, a pixel 62 is formed by a combination of a first light-emitting element 62R, a second light-emitting element 62G, and a third light-emitting element 62B which emit light different from one another. The pixel 62 is often formed by a combination of a red light-emitting element, a green light-emitting element, and a blue light-emitting element, but may be a combination of a yellow light-emitting element, a cyan light-emitting element, and a white light-emitting element, and is not particularly limited as long as it is at least one color.

Figure 6 (b) is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram taken along line A-B in Figure 6 (a). The pixel 62 has an organic EL element on a substrate 63, which includes an anode 64, a hole transport layer 65, one of the light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B, an electron transport layer 67, and a cathode 68. Of these, the hole transport layer 65, the light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B, and the electron transport layer 67 correspond to 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 anode 64 is formed separately for each light-emitting element. The hole transport layer 65, the electron transport layer 67, and the cathode 68 may be formed in common with the multiple light emitting elements 62R, 62G, and 62B, or may be formed for each light emitting element. In order to prevent the anode 64 and the cathode 68 from shorting due to foreign matter, an insulating layer 69 is provided between the anodes 64. Furthermore, since the organic EL layer deteriorates due to moisture and oxygen, a protective layer 70 is provided to protect the organic EL element from moisture and oxygen.

In FIG. 6(b), the hole transport layer 65 and the electron transport layer 67 are shown as a single layer, but depending on the structure of the organic EL display element, they may be formed of multiple layers including a hole blocking layer and an electron blocking layer. In addition, a hole injection layer having an energy band structure that can smoothly inject holes from the anode 64 to the hole transport layer 65 can be formed between the anode 64 and the hole transport layer 65. Similarly, an electron injection layer can be formed between the cathode 68 and the electron transport layer 67.

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

An acrylic resin is formed by spin coating on the substrate 63 on which the anode 64 is formed, and the acrylic resin is patterned by lithography so that an opening is formed in the area where the anode 64 is formed, forming an insulating layer 69. This opening corresponds to the light-emitting area where the light-emitting element actually emits light.

The substrate 63 with the patterned insulating layer 69 is carried into a first organic material deposition apparatus, the substrate is held by an electrostatic chuck, and a hole transport layer 65 is deposited as a common layer on the anode 64 of the display area. The hole transport layer 65 is deposited by vacuum deposition. In practice, the hole transport layer 65 is formed to be larger than the display area 61, so a high-definition mask is not required.

Next, the substrate 63 on which the hole transport layer 65 has been formed is carried into a second organic material deposition apparatus and held by an electrostatic chuck. The substrate and a mask are aligned, and a red light emitting layer 66R is deposited on the portion of the substrate 63 where the red light emitting element is to be disposed.
Similar to the formation of the light-emitting layer 66R, a light-emitting layer 66G that emits green light is formed by a third organic material film formation apparatus, and further a light-emitting layer 66B that emits blue light is formed by a fourth organic material film formation 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 formation apparatus. The electron transport layer 67 is formed as a layer common to the three light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B.

The substrate on which the electron transport layer 67 has been formed is moved by a metallic deposition material deposition device to deposit the cathode 68. The metallic deposition material deposition device may be a deposition device using an evaporation heating method or a deposition device using a sputtering method.

According to the present invention, the accuracy of alignment between the substrate and the mask can be further improved by using a magnetic levitation stage mechanism instead of a mechanical stage mechanism.
Thereafter, the substrate is transferred to a plasma CVD device, where a protective layer 70 is formed, and the organic EL display device 60 is completed.

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 formation of the protective layer 70 is completed, the light-emitting layer made of the organic EL material may be deteriorated by 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.

The above embodiment represents one example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and may be modified appropriately within the scope of its technical concept.

11: Film forming apparatus 21: Vacuum vessel 22: Magnetic levitation stage mechanism 23: Mask support unit 24: Substrate adsorption means

Claims (26)

A film forming apparatus for forming a film of a film forming material on a substrate through a mask, comprising:
A vacuum vessel;
a substrate support means provided within the vacuum vessel for supporting a substrate;
a mask support means provided within the vacuum vessel for supporting a mask;
a magnetic levitation stage mechanism that is provided within the vacuum vessel and that can adjust a position of the substrate support means in a first direction parallel to a support surface of the substrate support means, a second direction that intersects with the first direction and is parallel to a support surface of the substrate support means, and a rotational direction about a third direction that intersects with both the first direction and the second direction;
a film formation source provided in the vacuum vessel for storing a film formation material and for granulating the film formation material and discharging the film formation material;
Including,
the magnetic levitation stage mechanism includes a first plate portion whose position is fixed with respect to the vacuum vessel and which is installed parallel to the first direction and the second direction, a second plate portion which is movable relatively to the first plate portion, and a magnetic levitation unit for magnetically levitating and moving the second plate portion with respect to the first plate portion,
the magnetic levitation unit further includes an origin positioning means for determining an origin position of the second plate portion,
The magnetic levitation unit further includes a weight compensation means for compensating for gravity acting on the second plate portion, the weight compensation means including a first magnet portion installed on the first plate portion and a second magnet portion installed on the second plate portion.
A film forming apparatus comprising: A film forming apparatus for forming a film of a film forming material on a substrate through a mask, comprising:
A vacuum vessel;
a substrate support means provided within the vacuum vessel for supporting a substrate;
a mask support means provided within the vacuum vessel for supporting a mask;
A first direction parallel to a support surface of the substrate support means provided in the vacuum vessel and a second direction
a magnetic levitation stage mechanism capable of adjusting a position of the substrate support means in a second direction intersecting with a first direction and parallel to a support surface of the substrate support means, and in a rotational direction centered on a third direction intersecting with both the first direction and the second direction;
a film formation source provided in the vacuum vessel for storing a film formation material and for granulating the film formation material and discharging the film formation material;
Including,
the magnetic levitation stage mechanism includes a first plate portion whose position is fixed with respect to the vacuum vessel and which is installed parallel to the first direction and the second direction, a second plate portion which is movable relatively to the first plate portion, and a magnetic levitation unit for magnetically levitating and moving the second plate portion with respect to the first plate portion,
the magnetic levitation unit further includes an origin positioning means for determining an origin position of the second plate portion,
The origin positioning means includes at least three kinematic couplings.
A film forming apparatus comprising: 3. The film formation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic levitation stage mechanism is capable of adjusting the position of the substrate support means in the third direction, a rotational direction centered on the first direction, and a rotational direction centered on the second direction. 4. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate support means is disposed on the second plate portion. 3. The film deposition apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the magnetic levitation unit includes a magnetic levitation linear motor capable of driving the second plate portion relative to the first plate portion. The film forming apparatus of claim 5, characterized in that the magnetically levitated linear motor includes a first magnetically levitated linear motor capable of driving the second plate portion in the first direction, a second magnetically levitated linear motor capable of driving the second plate portion in the second direction, and a third magnetically levitated linear motor capable of driving the second plate portion in the third direction. the magnetic levitation linear motor includes a stator disposed on one of the first plate portion and the second plate portion, and a mover disposed on the other of the first plate portion and the second plate portion;
the stator includes a magnetic field generating means for driving the mover,
7. The film deposition apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the mover includes a magnetic material. 6. The film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic levitation unit further includes a position measuring means for measuring a position of the second plate portion. 9. The film forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the position measuring means includes a laser interferometer fixed to the first plate portion, and a reflecting portion provided on the second plate portion so as to face the laser interferometer. The film forming apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the position measurement means includes a first position measurement unit for measuring the position of the second plate portion in the first direction, a second position measurement unit for measuring the position of the second plate portion in the second direction, and a third position measurement unit for measuring the position of the second plate portion in the third direction. the first position measurement unit includes a first laser interferometer installed to irradiate a measurement beam in the first direction, and a first reflecting unit provided on the second plate unit to face the first laser interferometer;
the second position measurement unit includes a second laser interferometer installed to irradiate a measurement beam in the second direction, and a second reflecting unit provided on the second plate unit to face the second laser interferometer;
the third position measurement unit includes a plurality of third laser interferometers installed to irradiate a measurement beam in the third direction, and a plurality of third reflecting units provided on the second plate unit to face the third laser interferometers,
11. The film forming apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein at least one of the first laser interferometer and the second laser interferometer is a plurality of interferometers. 2. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first magnet portion and the second magnet portion are arranged so as to generate a levitation force in a direction opposite to a direction of gravity acting on the second plate portion. the second magnet portion is installed on the second plate portion via a spacer extending in the third direction,
The film forming apparatus of claim 12, characterized in that the spacer has a length in the third direction such that an end of the second magnet portion closer to the second plate portion is farther from the second plate portion than an end of the first magnet portion closer to the second plate portion. 2. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gravity compensation means is provided at least at three positions within a plane including the first direction and the second direction. 2. The film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the origin positioning means includes three kinematic couplings. 16. The film deposition apparatus according to claim 2 or 15, wherein the kinematic couplings are disposed at equal intervals around a center of the second plate portion on a plane including the first direction and the second direction. 17. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a silicon wafer, glass, resin, a film of a polymeric material, or a metal, or a film laminated on any of these materials. 18. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate support means supports the substrate by suction. A film forming apparatus for forming a film of a film forming material on a substrate through a mask, comprising:
A vacuum vessel;
a substrate support means provided within the vacuum vessel for supporting a substrate;
a mask support means provided within the vacuum vessel for supporting a mask;
a first direction parallel to a support surface of the mask support means provided in the vacuum vessel;
a magnetic levitation stage mechanism capable of adjusting a position of the mask support means in a second direction intersecting a first direction and parallel to a support surface of the substrate support means, and in a rotational direction centered on a third direction intersecting both the first direction and the second direction;
a film formation source provided in the vacuum vessel for storing a film formation material and for granulating the film formation material and discharging the film formation material;
Including,
the magnetic levitation stage mechanism includes a first plate portion whose position is fixed with respect to the vacuum vessel and which is installed parallel to the first direction and the second direction, a second plate portion which is movable relatively to the first plate portion, and a magnetic levitation unit for magnetically levitating and moving the second plate portion with respect to the first plate portion,
the magnetic levitation unit further includes an origin positioning means for determining an origin position of the second plate portion,
The magnetic levitation unit further includes a weight compensation means for compensating for gravity acting on the second plate portion, the weight compensation means including a first magnet portion installed on the first plate portion and a second magnet portion installed on the second plate portion.
A film forming apparatus comprising: A film forming apparatus for forming a film of a film forming material on a substrate through a mask, comprising:
A vacuum vessel;
a substrate support means provided within the vacuum vessel for supporting a substrate;
a mask support means provided within the vacuum vessel for supporting a mask;
a magnetic levitation stage mechanism that is provided within the vacuum vessel and that can adjust a position of the mask support means in a first direction parallel to a support surface of the mask support means, a second direction that intersects with the first direction and is parallel to a support surface of the substrate support means, and a rotational direction about a third direction that intersects with both the first direction and the second direction;
a film formation source provided in the vacuum vessel for storing a film formation material and granulating the film formation material and discharging the film formation material;
Including,
the magnetic levitation stage mechanism includes a first plate portion whose position is fixed with respect to the vacuum vessel and which is installed parallel to the first direction and the second direction, a second plate portion which is movable relatively with respect to the first plate portion, and a magnetic levitation unit for magnetically levitating and moving the second plate portion with respect to the first plate portion,
the magnetic levitation unit further includes an origin positioning means for determining an origin position of the second plate portion,
The origin positioning means includes at least three kinematic couplings.
A film forming apparatus comprising: The origin positioning means includes three kinematic couplings.
20. The film forming apparatus according to claim 19. The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 21 ,
A mask storage device for storing masks;
and a transport device for transporting a substrate or a mask. 1. A method for depositing a deposition material onto a substrate through a mask, comprising:
Carrying the mask into a vacuum chamber of a film forming apparatus;
Loading a substrate into the vacuum vessel;
supporting the substrate by a substrate support within the vacuum vessel;
a step of adjusting the relative positions of the substrate and the mask by moving the substrate support means by a magnetic levitation stage mechanism provided in the vacuum vessel, the magnetic levitation stage mechanism being capable of adjusting the position of the substrate support means in a first direction parallel to a support surface of the substrate support means, a second direction intersecting the first direction and parallel to a support surface of the substrate support means, and a rotational direction centered on a third direction intersecting both the first direction and the second direction;
a step of closely contacting the mask with a surface of the substrate on which a film is to be formed;
depositing a film on the substrate through the mask using a film-forming material granulated by a film-forming source in the vacuum chamber;
Including,
the magnetic levitation stage mechanism includes a first plate portion whose position is fixed with respect to the vacuum vessel and which is installed parallel to the first direction and the second direction, a second plate portion which is movable relatively to the first plate portion, and a magnetic levitation unit for magnetically levitating and moving the second plate portion with respect to the first plate portion,
the magnetic levitation unit further includes an origin positioning means for determining an origin position of the second plate portion,
The magnetic levitation unit further includes a weight compensation means for compensating for gravity acting on the second plate portion, the weight compensation means including a first magnet portion installed on the first plate portion and a second magnet portion installed on the second plate portion.
A film forming method comprising: 1. A method for depositing a deposition material onto a substrate through a mask, comprising:
Carrying the mask into a vacuum chamber of a film forming apparatus;
Loading a substrate into the vacuum vessel;
supporting the substrate by a substrate support within the vacuum vessel;
a step of adjusting the relative positions of the substrate and the mask by moving the substrate support means by a magnetic levitation stage mechanism provided in the vacuum vessel, the magnetic levitation stage mechanism being capable of adjusting the position of the substrate support means in a first direction parallel to a support surface of the substrate support means, a second direction intersecting the first direction and parallel to a support surface of the substrate support means, and a rotational direction centered on a third direction intersecting both the first direction and the second direction;
a step of closely contacting the mask with a surface of the substrate on which a film is to be formed;
depositing a film on the substrate through the mask using a film-forming material granulated by a film-forming source in the vacuum chamber;
Including,
the magnetic levitation stage mechanism includes a first plate portion whose position is fixed with respect to the vacuum vessel and which is installed parallel to the first direction and the second direction, a second plate portion which is movable relatively to the first plate portion, and a magnetic levitation unit for magnetically levitating and moving the second plate portion with respect to the first plate portion,
the magnetic levitation unit further includes an origin positioning means for determining an origin position of the second plate portion,
The origin positioning means includes at least three kinematic couplings.
A film forming method comprising: The origin positioning means includes three kinematic couplings.
The film forming method according to claim 23 . A method for producing an electronic device, comprising the steps of: producing an electronic device by using the film forming method according to any one of claims 23 to 25 .

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