JP2010067430A - Thin film forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a structure capable of forming a high-quality thin film even on a large substrate without needing excessive facility investments or costs. <P>SOLUTION: The thin film forming apparatus for forming a thin film 9a by applying a liquid 200 onto a substrate 9 includes: a support member 10 which supports the substrate 9; an applicator to which the support member 10 is detachably provided, the applicator applying the liquid 200 onto the substrate 9 supported on the support member 10; a lid member 20 detachably provided on the support member 10, which can form a storage chamber 50 for air-tightly storing the substrate 9 with the support member 10; and a dryer which dries the liquid 200 applied on the substrate 9 in a state where the substrate 9 is stored in the storage chamber 50. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a thin film forming apparatus.

  Conventionally, methods using a liquid process such as an ink jet method or an offset printing method are known as methods for producing organic EL elements and color filters. In these methods, a coating process for applying a liquid material and a drying process for drying the applied liquid material are performed, and a plurality of thin films can be formed by alternately repeating the coating process and the drying process. it can.

Since the thin film being formed may be deteriorated by oxygen, moisture, or the like, it is necessary to control the atmosphere with an inert gas such as nitrogen. For example, since organic EL elements are deteriorated by oxygen and moisture, Patent Documents 1 to 7 propose various methods for performing the process up to sealing in an environment where the moisture concentration and oxygen concentration are reduced (in an inert environment). Has been.
JP 2003-77655 A JP 2004-79317 A JP 2004-164873 A JP 2001-185355 A JP 2003-142260 A JP 2005-11578 A JP 2004-95423 A

  However, in Patent Document 1 to Patent Document 7, since the step of forming an organic layer on the substrate is performed in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen, the volume for accommodating the substrate increases as the substrate size increases. . Therefore, an enormous amount of nitrogen is required to maintain the inert gas atmosphere, and facilities for replacing the processing chamber with the inert gas become large.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a thin film forming apparatus capable of forming a high-quality thin film without excessive equipment investment and cost even with a large substrate. And

In order to solve the above problems, a thin film forming apparatus of the present invention is a thin film forming apparatus that forms a thin film by applying a liquid material on a substrate, and the support member that supports the substrate and the support member are attached and detached. And a coating device that coats the liquid material on the substrate supported on the support member, and is detachably provided on the support member, and the substrate is hermetically sealed with the support member. A lid member capable of forming a storage chamber to be stored; and a drying device for drying the liquid material coated on the substrate in a state where the substrate is stored in the storage chamber. To do.
According to this configuration, it is only necessary to create an inert gas atmosphere inside the storage chamber that is about the size of one substrate formed by the support member and the lid member, and the volume to be replaced with the inert gas is greatly increased. Reduced. Therefore, it is easy to maintain an inert gas atmosphere in the accommodation chamber, and it is easy to suppress the concentration to a predetermined concentration. As a result, a high-quality thin film can be formed without excessive capital investment and costs even with a large substrate.

In the present invention, the support member includes fixing means for fixing the substrate onto the support member, and the support member is attached to the support member even after the support member is removed from the coating apparatus by the fixing means. It is desirable to be configured so that it can remain fixed on top. As the fixing means, for example, a vacuum chuck can be used. By providing the vacuum chuck exhaust line valve on the support member, the substrate can be fixed on the support member with the vacuum chuck even when the support member is removed from the coating apparatus.
According to this configuration, since the substrate is continuously fixed on the support member even after the support member is removed from the coating apparatus, it is not necessary to align the substrate on the support member again. As a result, since the step of aligning the substrates is omitted, the thin film can be easily and efficiently formed.

In the present invention, the drying device includes a heating device that heats one or both of the support member and the lid member, and the substrate is heated by the heating device via the support member or the lid member. Thus, it is desirable to dry the liquid.
According to this configuration, the substrate is heated using heat conduction from the support member or the lid member. Therefore, a general heating device such as a heater can be used, and it is not necessary to add new equipment or change a design from an existing heating device.

In the present invention, the drying device includes an inert gas supply device that supplies an inert gas to the storage chamber, and the heating device is in a state where the storage chamber is in an inert gas atmosphere by the inert gas supply device. It is desirable that the liquid material be dried by heating the substrate using the.
According to this configuration, the thin film forming apparatus can be suitably used even when a device that is sensitive to oxygen and moisture, such as an organic EL element, is manufactured.

In the present invention, it is desirable that the inert gas supply device supplies an inert gas containing a vapor of a solvent contained in the liquid material to the storage chamber.
According to this configuration, since the inert gas containing the vapor is supplied to the storage chamber, the drying speed in the storage chamber is slowly and stably increased without rapidly increasing. Therefore, the drying speed in the storage chamber is controlled, and the liquid applied on the substrate is uniformly dried, so that a uniform thin film can be formed without unevenness.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the drying apparatus includes an exhaust unit that exhausts the inside of the storage chamber, and the storage unit is vacuum-evacuated by the exhaust unit to dry the liquid material.
According to this configuration, the drying process can be performed without applying thermal stress to the substrate. In addition, in the conventional thin film forming apparatus described in Patent Documents 1 to 7, since the space to be evacuated is large, the time required for evacuation is long and the production efficiency is poor. However, in the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention, Since the size of the space to be evacuated is as small as one substrate, the time required for evacuation is remarkably shortened, and the equipment required for evacuation can be small.

In the present invention, the drying device includes an inert gas supply device that supplies an inert gas to the storage chamber, and the liquid is obtained by spraying the inert gas onto the substrate by the inert gas supply device. It is desirable to dry the body.
According to this configuration, the solvent is removed as the inert gas flows. Therefore, the drying process can be performed without applying thermal stress to the substrate. In addition, since the drying process can be performed while replacing the inside of the storage chamber with an inert gas, an efficient process is possible.

In the present invention, the surface of the lid member facing the substrate is provided with a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting the inert gas supplied from the inert gas supply device toward the substrate. Is desirable.
According to this structure, compared with the case where an inert gas is ejected from only one place, the supply amount of an inert gas can be made uniform in the whole storage chamber. Therefore, a thin film with little drying unevenness can be formed.

In the present invention, it is desirable that the plurality of ejection ports be provided at positions having rotational symmetry about a connection portion connected to the intake line of the inert gas supply device.
According to this configuration, the dry state of the thin film can be made uniform over the entire substrate, and a high-quality thin film free from drying unevenness can be formed.

In the present invention, it is desirable that the size of the ejection port provided at a position close to the connection portion is smaller than the size of the ejection port provided at a position far from the connection portion.
In general, the inert gas is ejected from the ejection port close to the connection portion more vigorously than the ejection port far from the connection portion. Therefore, the amount of the inert gas ejected can be made uniform in the entire accommodation chamber by making the sizes of the ejection ports near the connecting portion and far from the connecting portion different. Therefore, according to the present invention, the drying speed of the liquid can be made uniform over the entire substrate, and a high-quality thin film free from drying unevenness can be formed.

In the present invention, a movement device that moves the substrate supported on the support member between the coating device and the drying device, and a movement path of the movement device, the movement device is provided with respect to the support member. The lid member is held so that it can be raised and lowered, and the lid member is lowered to fix the lid member in a state where the accommodation chamber is formed on the support member, and the substrate is accommodated in the accommodation chamber in an airtight manner. And a lid member attaching device.
According to this configuration, the attaching process of the lid member can be automatically performed, so that an efficient thin film can be formed.

In the present invention, the apparatus includes a base on which the support member, the coating device, and the drying device are installed, and the moving device is a guide rail provided between the coating device and the drying device on the base. And a slider provided so as to be movable along the guide rail and on which the support member is installed.
According to this structure, all the processes of an application | coating process, the attachment process of a cover member, and a drying process can be performed automatically. Therefore, more efficient thin film formation becomes possible.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This embodiment shows one aspect of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention, and can be arbitrarily changed within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. Moreover, in the following drawings, in order to make each structure easy to understand, an actual structure and a scale, a number, and the like in each structure are different.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration perspective view of a thin film forming apparatus 100 which is an embodiment of the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention. The thin film forming apparatus 100 includes a support member 10 that supports the substrate 9 and a coating apparatus 110 that applies a liquid 200 (see FIG. 6) on the substrate 9. The coating device 110 is a droplet discharge device (inkjet device) that can supply the liquid 200 in a predetermined pattern.

  In the following description, the coating apparatus 110 is described as an ink jet apparatus. However, the application apparatus 110 is not particularly limited to the ink jet apparatus, and any apparatus that can dispose the liquid 200 on the substrate 9 may be used. The liquid 200 may be disposed on the substrate 9.

  The support member 10 is detachably installed on a holding device 120 fixed to the base 101. The holding device 120 includes a holding base 121 and a suction holding unit 122. When the suction holding part 122 on the holding base 121 is operated, the support member 10 is sucked and held.

  The coating apparatus 110 is provided on the base 101 and can move the ejection head 111 and the ejection head 111 that can quantitatively eject the liquid 200 containing a predetermined material onto the substrate 9 supported by the support member 10. The apparatus includes a discharge head moving device 117 that supports the support member 10 and a support member moving device 118 that is interposed between the base 101 and the support member 10 and supports the support member 10 so as to be movable. The discharge operation of the liquid 200 of the discharge head 111 is controlled by a control device (not shown).

  Here, only one ejection head 111 is illustrated in FIG. 1, but the coating apparatus 110 is provided with a plurality of ejection heads 111, and each of the plurality of ejection heads 111 is dissimilar or of the same type of liquid. The body 200 is discharged.

  The ejection head moving device 117 is erected with respect to the base 101 using two support columns 116 and attached to the rear portion 101 a of the base 101. Further, the discharge head moving device 117 is configured by, for example, a linear motor, a support portion 115 fixed to two support columns 116, a discharge head guide rail 114 supported by the support portion 115, and a discharge head guide rail. 114, and a discharge head slider 113 supported so as to be movable in the X-axis direction along the X-axis direction. The ejection head slider 113 can be positioned in the X-axis direction along the ejection head guide rail 114, and the ejection head 111 is attached to the ejection head slider 113 via the connection portion 112.

  The discharge head 111 is provided with motors (electric motors that output rotational motion) 111a, 111b, 111c, and 111d as swing positioning devices. When the motor 111a is actuated, the ejection head 111 moves up and down along the Z-axis and is positioned. Further, when the motor 111b is operated, the ejection head 111 is swung along the β direction around the Y axis to be positioned, and when the motor 111c is further operated, it is swung in the γ direction around the X axis. It moves to make its positioning. When the motor 111d is operated, the ejection head 111 swings in the α direction around the Z axis and is positioned. That is, the discharge head moving device 117 supports the discharge head 111 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction, and supports the discharge head 111 in the α direction (around the Z axis), the β direction (around the Y axis), and γ. It is supported so as to be movable in the direction (around the X axis).

  The support member moving device 118 is configured by, for example, a linear motor, and includes a support member guide rail 119, and enables the holding device 120 to move along the support member guide rail 119. The holding device 120 is movable in the Y-axis direction along the support member guide rail 119.

In addition, the suction holding unit 122 on the holding base 121 of the holding device 120 includes a motor (not shown) for rotating around the Z axis (Θ _Z ). This motor is of a direct drive type in which, for example, the rotational force of the motor is directly transmitted to a drive target without using an indirect mechanism such as a gear box, and the rotor (rotation side) of the motor is fixed to the support member 10. ing. Accordingly, the rotor and the support member 10 by energizing the motor, which is a support member 10 rotates along the theta _Z direction to be able to index (rotation index). That is, the support member moving device 118, so as to be movable support member 10 in the Y-axis direction and theta _Z direction is what is configured.

  Under such a configuration, the ejection head 111 can be positioned by linear movement in the Z-axis direction while being held by the ejection head slider 113, and along α, β, and γ. It can swing and be positioned. Therefore, the position or posture of the liquid discharge surface of the discharge head 111 can be accurately controlled with respect to the substrate 9 on the support member 10. Note that a plurality of nozzles that discharge the liquid 200 are provided on the liquid discharge surface of the discharge head 111.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration perspective view showing a state in which a heating device 170 for drying the liquid 200 applied on the substrate 9 (see FIG. 1) is installed on the upper surface of the lid member 20. By fixing the lid member 20 to the support member 10 that supports the substrate 9, the substrate 9 is accommodated in an airtight manner. In this state, a heating device 170 such as a heater is attached to the upper surface of the lid member 20, and the liquid material 200 is dried by heating the substrate 9 through the lid member 20 with the heating device 170. Yes.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the accommodation state of the substrate 9. The support member 10 includes a vacuum chuck (fixing means) 11 as means for fixing the substrate 9 on the support member 10. The substrate 9 is disposed on the support member 10 so as to overlap the vacuum chuck 11. The vacuum chuck 11 can continue to fix the substrate 9 on the support member 10 even after the support member 10 is removed from the coating apparatus 110. The support member 10 is made of a metal material such as Al (aluminum).

  The vacuum chuck 11 is for fixing the substrate 9 to the support member 10 by vacuum suction. The vacuum chuck 11 is connected to a vacuum line 12 formed inside the support member 10 and is evacuated by an apparatus (evacuation means) (not shown) such as a vacuum pump, and the vacuum line 11 is closed to close the vacuum line. A state is created. More specifically, the vacuum line 12 includes a main line portion 12a having a length in the horizontal direction in the drawing, and a plurality of branch line portions 12b arranged in parallel in the vertical direction in the drawing on the vacuum chuck 11 side of the main line portion 12a. . The ends exposed from the left and right support members 10 of the main line portion 12a are connected to a device such as a vacuum pump, the vacuum chuck 11 is evacuated from the main line portion 12a via the branch line portion 12b, and the substrate 9 of the support member 10 is placed. It is designed to be fixed in close contact with the upper surface.

  On the support member 10, there is provided a convex lid member 20 that forms an accommodation chamber 50 that hermetically accommodates the substrate 9 with the support member 10. The lid member 20 is made of a metal material such as Al, for example. A plurality of openings 21 are formed in the side wall 23 surrounding the periphery of the substrate 9 fixed to the support member 10 of the lid member 20.

The opening 21 evacuates the inside of the housing chamber 50 and fills with an inert gas such as N ₂ (nitrogen) to make an inert gas atmosphere. The opening 21 is connected to a vacuum / N ₂ line 22 formed in the lid member 20. The end of the vacuum / N ₂ line 22 exposed from the lid member 20 opposite to the side to which the opening 21 is connected is a device such as a vacuum pump or an N ₂ sealing device (inert gas supply device) (not shown). It is connected to the. Thus, an inert gas is supplied into the storage chamber 50, and an inert gas atmosphere is created by closing the valve 24 of the vacuum / N ₂ line.

  A fixing member 8 is provided around the support member 10 and the lid member 20. The fixing member 8 is for attaching the support member 10 and the lid member 20 and fixing them so that there is no gap. As the fixing member 8, for example, a stopper such as a clip or a stopper such as a bolt or a nut can be used. Moreover, you may fix by the magnetic force using a magnet etc., without using these. The fixing member 8 may be attached either by an operator or by a machine.

  FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional configuration along the line AA shown in FIG. The support member 10 is formed in a rectangular shape having a length on the left and right in the figure. A plurality of vacuum lines 12 are formed in the support member 10 so as to pass through a plurality of circular suction holes 11 a constituting the vacuum chuck 11.

  The vacuum line 12 includes a first vacuum line 12a and a second vacuum line 12b. The first vacuum line 12a is formed so as to penetrate the plurality of suction holes 11a on the outer peripheral portion of the support member 10, and the second vacuum line 12b is formed so as to penetrate the plurality of suction holes 11a in the central portion of the support member 10. Has been. That is, even if the substrate 9 is large or small, the vacuum line 12 is divided into the suction holes 11a that are arranged at the outer peripheral portion of the support member 10 and those that are arranged at the central portion. It is formed so that it can be applied to both. Moreover, the edge part exposed from the supporting member 10 of the vacuum line 12 is connected to apparatuses (not shown), such as a vacuum pump.

  The vacuum chuck 11 is constituted by suction holes 11 a formed at a plurality of locations on the support member 10. In the present embodiment, a total of 25 suction holes 11 a constituting the vacuum chuck 11 are installed. However, the number of the suction holes 11 a is not limited to the above-described number as long as the substrate 9 can be vacuum-sucked to the support member 10. Similarly, the arrangement of the vacuum line 12 is not limited to the above-described arrangement as long as the substrate 9 can be vacuum-sucked to the support member 10.

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional configuration along the line BB shown in FIG. The lid member 20 is formed in a rectangular shape having a length on the left and right sides in the figure. A plurality of vacuum / N ₂ lines 22 are formed on the lid member 20 so as to penetrate from the side wall portion 23 inside the lid member 20 to the outside of the lid member 20. An opening 21 is formed in the side wall 23 so as to be connected to the vacuum / N ₂ line 22. The end of the vacuum / N ₂ line 22 exposed from the lid member 20 is connected to a device such as a vacuum pump (not shown) or an N ₂ sealing device (not shown). In the present embodiment, the number of openings 21 is four in total, one on each of the four sides of the lid member 20. However, if an inert gas atmosphere can be created in the storage chamber 50, the number of openings 21 is as described above. The number of installations is not limited.

(Thin film formation method)
Next, a method for forming the thin film 9a using the thin film forming apparatus 100 of the present invention will be described by taking an organic EL element as an example. The organic EL element forming step includes a step of placing the substrate 9 on the support member 10, a step of applying the liquid material 200 containing the organic EL element forming material on the substrate 9, and the substrate 9 being hermetically accommodated. The fixing member 10 and the lid member 20 are fixed to each other, and the liquid material 200 applied to the substrate 9 in the storage chamber 50 is dried.

  First, as shown in FIG. 6A, the substrate 9 is placed on the support member 10. Here, an anode and a partition layer are already formed on the substrate 9 by a conventionally known technique. Next, a device such as a vacuum pump (not shown) connected to the end of the vacuum line 12 is activated to fix the substrate 9 to the support member 10 by vacuum suction. At this time, the valve 13 of the vacuum line is closed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, the support member 10 on which the substrate 9 is placed is placed in the coating apparatus 110 (see FIG. 1). Next, the liquid 200 containing the material for forming the hole injection layer (organic EL element) is ejected from the ejection head 111 to a predetermined position on the substrate 9 by an inkjet method. The application of the liquid 200 by the ink jet method may be performed in the air. In this embodiment, the ink jet method is used, but solid coating such as slit coating may be used.

  Next, as illustrated in FIG. 6C, the cover member 20 is attached to the support member 10 and fixed by the fixing member 8, thereby forming the storage chamber 50 that stores the substrate 9 in an airtight manner. The step of fixing the fixing member 8 may be performed by an operator or a machine.

Next, the vacuum / N ₂ line 22 is connected to a device such as a vacuum pump or an N ₂ sealing device, and the inside of the storage chamber 50 is evacuated to pass an inert gas such as N ₂ from the opening 21 into the storage chamber 50. Fill with inert gas atmosphere.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6 (d), a heating device 170 such as a hot plate or an electric furnace is brought into contact with the upper part of the accommodation chamber 50 (the upper surface of the lid member 20), and heat conduction from the lid member 20 is utilized. The liquid 200 applied on the substrate 9 is dried to form a hole injection layer (thin film) 9a. In addition, although the heating apparatus 170 of this embodiment uses a hot plate, it may be heated by applying light such as a halogen lamp. In addition, a transparent window part that transmits infrared rays may be provided on either one or both of the lid member 20 and the support member 10, and the substrate 9 may be directly heated.

  In the present embodiment, the heating device 170 is disposed above the accommodation chamber 50 (upper surface of the lid member 20), but may be disposed below the accommodation chamber 50 (lower surface of the support member 20). In addition, by arranging the heating device 170 below the storage chamber 50 together with the upper side of the storage chamber 50, it is possible to heat from both the storage chambers 50 (the upper surface of the lid member 20 and the lower surface of the support member 20).

In addition, in order to control the drying speed in the storage chamber 50 by the heating of the heating device 170 and to make the drying of the liquid 200 applied on the substrate 9 more uniform, the liquid 200 is removed from the vacuum / N ₂ line 22. Bubbling is performed, and drying is performed while N ₂ gas (inert gas) containing the vapor of the solvent contained in the liquid 200 flows into the storage chamber 50 from the opening 21 via the vacuum / N ₂ line 22. Also good.

Incidentally, without using the heating device 170 may be dried under reduced pressure of connecting the vacuum / N ₂ line 22 to a vacuum system. Also, if the baking (heating) is required in an inert atmosphere, one of the vacuum / N ₂ line 22 connected to the N ₂ line, accommodating chamber through the opening 21 via vacuum / N ₂ line 22 50 Bake at the desired temperature with N ₂ flowing in.

Until the next process, the valve 24 of the vacuum / N ₂ line is closed, and the N ₂ is cooled and stored while being enclosed in the accommodation chamber 50. In addition, when it is not necessary to control the inert gas but only to control the water content, the inside of the storage chamber 50 may be sealed and stored with dry air.

  Next, on the hole injection layer 9a, a hole transport layer (not shown) and an organic light emitting layer (not shown) are performed in this order by repeating the same process as the hole injection layer 9a described above. By forming. Next, the substrate 9 is taken out from the storage chamber 50 and transferred to a vapor deposition apparatus equipped with a vacuum baking (heating) furnace. Next, vacuum baking is performed, and subsequently a cathode (not shown) is formed on the organic light emitting layer. In this way, an organic EL element in which the organic light emitting layer is sandwiched between the anode and the cathode is formed. Note that sealing may be performed by forming an inorganic layer such as SiN (silicon nitride) or SiON (silicon oxynitride) by using CVD after the cathode. Further, can sealing with a can glass containing a desiccant may be performed.

  According to the thin film forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the inside of the storage chamber 50 that is about the size of one substrate formed by the support member 10 and the lid member 20 only needs to be an inert gas atmosphere. The volume displaced by the active gas is greatly reduced. Therefore, it is easy to maintain the inert gas atmosphere in the storage chamber 50, and it becomes easy to suppress to a predetermined concentration. As a result, it is possible to form a high-quality thin film 9a without excessive capital investment and cost even with a large substrate.

  Further, according to this configuration, since the substrate 9 continues to be fixed on the support member 10 even after the support member 10 is removed from the coating apparatus 110, it is necessary to align the substrate 9 on the support member 10 again. Disappear. As a result, since the step of aligning the substrate 9 is omitted, the thin film 9a can be easily and efficiently formed.

  In addition, according to this configuration, since the heating device 170 that heats one or both of the support member 10 and the lid member 20 is provided, the heating of the substrate 9 can be performed using heat conduction from the support member 10 or the lid member 20. Done. Therefore, a general heating device 170 such as a heater can be used, and it is not necessary to add a new facility or change a design from an existing heating device.

  In addition, according to this configuration, since the containing chamber 50 is heated in an inert gas atmosphere, the thin film formation that can be suitably used for manufacturing a device that is sensitive to oxygen and moisture such as an organic EL element. The apparatus 100 is obtained.

  Further, according to this configuration, since the inert gas containing the vapor of the solvent contained in the liquid material 200 is supplied to the storage chamber 50, the drying speed in the storage chamber 50 does not increase rapidly but slowly. And is done stably. Therefore, the drying speed in the storage chamber 50 is controlled, and the drying of the liquid 200 applied on the substrate 9 becomes uniform, so that a uniform thin film 9a can be formed without unevenness.

  Further, according to this configuration, the drying process can be performed without applying thermal stress to the substrate 9. Moreover, in the conventional thin film forming apparatuses described in Patent Documents 1 to 7, since the space for evacuation is large, the time required for evacuation becomes long and the production efficiency is poor. However, in the thin film forming apparatus 100 of the present invention, Since the space to be evacuated is as small as one substrate, the time required for evacuation is remarkably shortened, and the equipment required for evacuation can be small.

(Modification of lid member)
FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the accommodation state of the substrate 9 accommodated in the lid member 30 of another example of the lid member of the present invention. The lid member 30 is provided with a plurality of ejection ports 31 on the side of the substrate 9 facing the surface on which the liquid 200 is applied to create an inert gas atmosphere by ejecting an inert gas into the storage chamber 50. Yes. The ejection port 31 is connected to an N ₂ line 32, connected to an intake line (not shown) of an inert gas supply device such as an N ₂ sealing device via a connection portion 33, and is filled with an inert gas in the accommodation chamber 50. An atmosphere has been created. In addition, the structure except the cover member 30 shown by FIG. 7 is the same as the structure which concerns on the said one Embodiment.

  Thus, by providing the ejection port 31 on the surface of the lid member 30 facing the substrate 9, the inert gas supplied by the inert gas supply device is blown against the substrate 9 in the storage chamber 50. The liquid 200 applied on the substrate 9 is dried.

FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional configuration along the line CC shown in FIG. The lid member 30 is formed in a rectangular shape having a length in the horizontal direction in the figure. On the lid member 30, a plurality of N ₂ lines 32 (broken line portions) are formed in a lattice shape so as to overlap the lid member 30. A connection portion 33 (broken line portion) is formed in a circular shape at a position where the _two N ₂ lines 32 intersect at the center on the lid member 30. The connecting portion 33 is connected to an intake line (not shown) of an inert gas supply device such as an N ₂ sealing device.

A plurality of circular ejection ports 31 are formed at positions where a plurality of N ₂ lines 32 where no connection portion 33 is formed on the lid member 30 intersect. The ejection port 31 is provided at a position having rotational symmetry about the connection portion 33. More specifically, when rotated 180 degrees around the connection portion 33, the position of the ejection port 31 is provided symmetrically twice so as to overlap the original position before the rotation.

  Further, the ejection port 31 is provided so that the flow rate of the inert gas ejected over the entire surface of the substrate 9 placed on the support member 10 shown in FIG. 7 is uniform. More specifically, the diameter of the ejection port 31 provided at a position close to the connection portion 33 is smaller than the diameter of the ejection port 31 provided at a position far from the connection portion 33. Yes. Moreover, it forms so that the number arrange | positioned may increase as it is provided in the position far from the connection part 33. FIG.

  According to this modification, since the liquid 200 is dried while spraying an inert gas, the solvent is removed along with the flow of the inert gas. Therefore, the drying process can be performed without applying thermal stress to the substrate 9. In addition, since the drying process can be performed while replacing the interior of the storage chamber 50 with an inert gas, an efficient process is possible.

  Moreover, according to this modification, since the several ejection port 31 which ejects an inert gas toward the board | substrate 9 is provided, compared with the case where an inert gas is ejected from only one place, the inert gas of The supply amount can be made uniform throughout the accommodation chamber. Therefore, the thin film 9a with little drying unevenness can be formed.

  In addition, according to the present modification, the plurality of ejection openings 31 are provided at positions having rotational symmetry about the connection portion 33 of the intake line, so that the dry state of the thin film can be made uniform over the entire substrate. It is possible to form a high-quality thin film 9a having no drying unevenness.

  Moreover, according to this modification, the drying speed of the liquid 200 can be made uniform over the entire substrate, and a high-quality thin film 9a without drying unevenness can be formed. In general, the inert gas is ejected from the ejection port 31 close to the connection portion 33 more vigorously than the ejection port 31 far from the connection portion 33. Therefore, the amount of the inert gas ejected can be made uniform in the entire storage chamber 50 by making the sizes of the ejection ports 31 near the connecting portion 33 and far from the connecting portion 33 different.

(Modification of thin film forming apparatus)

  FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration perspective view showing another type of thin film forming apparatus 100A according to the present invention. The thin film forming apparatus 100A includes a drying device 180 for drying the liquid 200 applied on the substrate 9, and a guide rail for moving the substrate 9 supported by the support member 10 between the coating device 110 and the drying device 180. And a lid member attaching device 130 that fixes the lid member 20 to the support member 10. The moving device 140 includes two guide rails 143 provided between the coating device 110 and the drying device 180 on the base 101, and a slider on which the support member 10 is installed so as to be movable along the guide rails 143. 141. In addition, the structure except the drying apparatus 180 shown in FIG. 9, the moving apparatus 140, and the cover member attachment apparatus 130 is the same as the structure which concerns on the said one Embodiment.

  The drying device 180 is provided on the base 101, heats the substrate 9 to which the support member 10 and the lid member 20 are fixed and airtightly stored, to a predetermined temperature, and dries the liquid 200 applied on the substrate 9. It is something to process. In the drying apparatus 180, a heater (heating apparatus) 181 for heating the substrate 9 is provided at a position facing the lid member 20 that houses the substrate 9 fixed to the support member 10.

  The drying device 180 has an inverted U-shaped support body 182 and is attached to the front portion 101 b of the base 101. The heater 181 is supported on the support body 182 via an elevating device 183. The elevating device 183 is constituted by an air cylinder, for example, and supports the heater 181 so as to be movable up and down in the Z-axis direction. The heater 181 is moved downward so as to contact the upper surface of the lid member 20 that accommodates the substrate 9.

  The drying device 180 includes an inert gas device (not shown) that supplies an inert gas to the storage chamber 50 (see FIG. 3). This inert gas device has a function of bringing the storage chamber 50 into an inert gas atmosphere and a function of supplying an inert gas containing a solvent vapor contained in the liquid 200. In addition, the drying device 180 includes exhaust means (not shown) that exhausts the inside of the storage chamber 50. The exhaust means has a function of drying the liquid 200 by evacuating the storage chamber 50.

  The moving device 140 is provided on the base 101 and moves the substrate 9 supported by the support member 10 in the Y-axis direction. After the step of applying the liquid 200 on the substrate 9 by the applying device 110 by the moving device 140, the moving device 140 is transferred to the step of hermetically storing the substrate 9 by the lid member attaching device 130. The liquid 200 on the substrate 9 is transferred to a drying process with the drying device 180.

  The moving device 140 is constituted by, for example, a linear motor. The slider 141 of the linear motor type moving device 140 can be positioned by moving in the Y-axis direction along the guide rail 143.

The slider 141 includes a columnar motor 142 around the Z-axis (Θ _Z ). The motor 142 is of a direct drive type in which, for example, the rotational force of the motor is directly transmitted to a drive target without using an indirect mechanism such as a gear box. The rotor (rotation side) of the motor 142 is connected to the support member 10. It is fixed.

  Thereby, by energizing the motor 142, the rotor and the support member 10 can rotate around the Z axis. That is, the moving device 140 can move the support member 10 in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction.

  The guide rail 143 of the moving device 140 extends below the heater 181 of the drying device 180, and the slider 141 held by the support member 10 is provided so as to be movable below the heater 181. Therefore, by moving the substrate 9 below the heater 181 by the slider 141, the heater 181 is lowered to a predetermined position by the elevating device 183 and is placed on the upper surface of the lid member 20 (not shown) that accommodates the substrate 9. It comes in contact from directly above.

  The lid member attaching device 130 holds the lid member 20 so as to be movable up and down with respect to the support member 10, and lowers the lid member 20 to form an accommodation chamber for accommodating the substrate 9 in the support member 10 in an airtight manner. The lid member 20 is fixed. The lid member attaching device 130 is provided on the base 101 and is provided on the moving path of the moving device 140.

  The lid member attaching device 130 has an L-shaped support body 133 and is attached to the central portion of the base 101 (between the front portion 101b and the rear portion 101a). The lid member attaching device 130 includes an inverted U-shaped fork 131 and a fork connecting portion 132. The fork 131 is connected to the support body 133 by the fork connecting portion 132 and is movable in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). Further, the fork connecting portion 132 is connected to the support body 133 and is movable in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. As a result, the fork 131 holds the lid member 20 so as to be movable up and down with respect to the support member 10, and forms a storage chamber 50 that hermetically accommodates the substrate 9 in the support member 10 by lowering the lid member 20. Thus, the lid member 20 can be fixed.

  Then, the operation of the thin film forming apparatus 100 </ b> A including the discharge operation of the liquid 200 of the discharge head 111, the lifting / lowering operation of the heater 181, the moving operation of the discharge head moving device 117 and the moving device 140, and the lifting / lowering operation of the lid member attaching device 130. Is controlled by a control device (not shown).

  According to this modification, since the moving device 140 and the lid member attaching device 130 are provided between the coating device 110 and the drying device 180, the attaching process of the lid member 20 can be performed automatically. Therefore, an efficient thin film can be formed.

  Moreover, according to this modification, since the supporting member 10 that supports the substrate 9 is moved between the coating device 110 and the drying device 180 along the guide rail 143, the coating step, the lid member 20 mounting step, and the drying are performed. All processes can be performed automatically. Therefore, more efficient thin film formation becomes possible.

  In addition, although the guide rail system was mentioned as an example as a thin film formation apparatus of this embodiment, another system can also be used. For example, as another method, a multi-accommodating room method (cluster tool method) can be cited. According to this cluster tool method, the coating device 110, the drying device 180, and the cleaning device for the substrate 9 are arranged so as to be continuous in a circle around the robot arm (transport device) that transports the storage chamber 50. Is done. Therefore, since various apparatuses for forming the thin film 9a on the substrate 9 are connected, the thin film 9a can be efficiently formed. In addition, since the arrangement order of various devices can be set at a predetermined position, the degree of freedom in arrangement is high, and the range of design of the production line can be widened.

It is a schematic structure perspective view of the thin film forming apparatus of this invention. It is the schematic structure perspective view which showed the heating state of the board | substrate. It is a schematic structure sectional view showing the accommodation state of a substrate. It is a schematic structure sectional view of a support member. It is a schematic structure sectional view of a lid member. It is the schematic sectional drawing which showed the formation process of the organic EL element using the thin film forming apparatus. It is schematic structure sectional drawing of the modification of a cover member. It is schematic structure sectional drawing of the modification of a cover member. It is a schematic structure perspective view of the 1st modification of a thin film forming apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

9 ... substrate, 9a ... film, 10 ... support member, 11 ... vacuum chuck (fixing means), 13 ... vacuum line valve 20 ... cover member, 24 ... vacuum / _{N 2} line of the valve, 31 ... blowing port, 33 ... Connection part, 50 ... Accommodating chamber, 200 ... Liquid material, 100, 100A ... Thin film forming device, 101 ... Base, 110 ... Coating device, 130 ... Cover member attaching device, 140 ... Moving device, 141 ... Slider, 143 ... Guide rail, 170 ... heating device, 180 ... drying device, 181 ... heater (heating device)

Claims (12)

A thin film forming apparatus for forming a thin film by applying a liquid material on a substrate,
A support member for supporting the substrate;
An applicator for applying the liquid material on the substrate, the support member being detachably provided and supported on the support member;
A lid member detachably provided on the support member and capable of forming a storage chamber for hermetically storing the substrate with the support member;
A thin film forming apparatus comprising: a drying device that performs a drying process on the liquid material coated on the substrate in a state where the substrate is accommodated in the accommodation chamber.   The support member includes a fixing unit that fixes the substrate onto the support member, and the fixing unit continues to fix the substrate onto the support member even after the support member is removed from the coating apparatus. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thin film forming apparatus is configured to be capable of performing the above.   The drying apparatus includes a heating device that heats one or both of the support member and the lid member, and the liquid material is heated by heating the substrate with the heating device via the support member or the lid member. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the film is dried.   The drying apparatus includes an inert gas supply device that supplies an inert gas to the storage chamber, and the substrate is formed using the heating device in a state where the storage chamber is set to an inert gas atmosphere by the inert gas supply device. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the liquid is dried by heating the liquid.   The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the inert gas supply device supplies an inert gas containing a vapor of a solvent contained in the liquid material to the storage chamber.   The said drying apparatus is equipped with the exhaust means which exhausts the inside of the said storage chamber, The said liquid material is dried by evacuating the said storage chamber by the said exhaust means, The said 1 or 2 is characterized by the above-mentioned. The thin film forming apparatus described.   The drying apparatus includes an inert gas supply device that supplies an inert gas to the storage chamber, and the liquid material is dried by spraying an inert gas onto the substrate by the inert gas supply device. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.   The surface of the lid member facing the substrate is provided with a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting the inert gas supplied from the inert gas supply device toward the substrate. Item 8. The thin film forming apparatus according to Item 7.   9. The thin film according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of ejection ports are provided at positions having rotational symmetry about a connection portion connected to an intake line of the inert gas supply device. Forming equipment.   The size of the ejection port provided at a position near the connection portion is smaller than the size of the ejection port provided at a position far from the connection portion. Thin film forming equipment. A moving device for moving the substrate supported on the support member between the coating device and the drying device;
The moving device is provided on a moving path, holds the lid member with respect to the support member so as to be movable up and down, and lowers the lid member to form the storage chamber on the support member. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a lid member attaching device that fixes the lid member and hermetically accommodates the substrate in the accommodation chamber. A base on which the support member, the coating device, and the drying device are installed;
The moving device includes a guide rail provided between the coating device and the drying device on the base, and a slider provided movably along the guide rail and provided with the support member. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein:

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