CN115142036B

CN115142036B - Control device, film forming device, substrate suction method, program setting method, and method for manufacturing electronic device

Info

Publication number: CN115142036B
Application number: CN202210290302.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 泷泽毅; 川畑奉代; 河合慈
Original assignee: Canon Tokki Corp
Current assignee: Canon Tokki Corp
Priority date: 2021-03-30
Filing date: 2022-03-23
Publication date: 2024-08-06
Anticipated expiration: 2042-03-23
Also published as: JP2023080107A; KR20240027640A; CN115142036A; KR20220136157A; JP7390328B2; JP7522250B2; JP2022155114A

Abstract

The invention relates to a control device, a film forming device, a substrate adsorption method, a plan setting method and a manufacturing method of an electronic device, and provides a technology for inhibiting the reduction of film forming precision. The control device of the film forming device comprises: an electrostatic chuck that adsorbs a substrate; and a detection unit that detects the suction of the substrate by the electrostatic chuck. The control device is provided with: an acquisition unit that acquires a detection result of the detection unit; and a voltage control unit that sets a suction voltage of the electrostatic chuck based on a suction time of the substrate by the electrostatic chuck determined based on the detection result acquired by the acquisition unit.

Description

Control device, film forming device, substrate suction method, program setting method, and method for manufacturing electronic device

Technical Field

The invention relates to a control device, a film forming device, a substrate adsorption method, a plan setting method and a manufacturing method of an electronic device.

Background

In the manufacture of an organic EL display panel or the like, a deposition material is formed on a substrate through a mask. The film formation process may be performed in a state where the substrate is attracted to the electrostatic chuck. A technique is known in which a time from application of a voltage to an electrostatic chuck until a stable value of electrostatic capacitance is obtained is read during suction by the electrostatic chuck (for example, patent documents 1 and 2). Patent document 3 discloses a control unit that controls the voltage of the electrode of the electrostatic chuck, and adjusts the voltage in accordance with a change in electrostatic capacitance measured by the electrostatic capacitance sensor.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 05-036806

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open No. 2001-308164

Patent document 3: japanese patent laid-open publication 2016-063905

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

When the film formation process is performed in a state where the suction of the substrate by the electrostatic chuck is insufficient, the film formation accuracy may be lowered. As an example, a so-called "film blur" may occur in which film formation is not performed in accordance with the shape and size of the opening provided in the mask.

The invention provides a technology for inhibiting the reduction of film forming precision.

Means for solving the problems

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control device for a film forming apparatus including an electrostatic chuck that adsorbs a substrate and a detecting member that detects adsorption of the substrate by the electrostatic chuck, the control device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires a detection result of the detection unit; and a voltage control unit that sets a suction voltage of the electrostatic chuck based on a suction time of the substrate by the electrostatic chuck determined based on the detection result acquired by the acquisition unit.

In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control device for a film forming apparatus including an electrostatic chuck that adsorbs a substrate and a detecting member that detects adsorption of the substrate by the electrostatic chuck, the control device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires information on a suction time from when a suction voltage for sucking a substrate is applied to the electrostatic chuck until a detection result by the detection unit reaches a predetermined value; and a schedule control unit that controls a process schedule of the film forming apparatus, wherein the schedule control unit changes a time from a start of application of the chucking voltage to the electrostatic chuck to a start timing of a process performed after chucking of a substrate for one substrate based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit.

In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a film forming apparatus comprising: an electrostatic chuck that adsorbs a substrate; and a detection unit configured to detect the adsorption of the substrate by the electrostatic chuck, wherein the film forming apparatus is controlled by the control device.

In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate suction method for a film forming apparatus including an electrostatic chuck for sucking a substrate and a detecting member for detecting suction of the substrate by the electrostatic chuck, the substrate suction method comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring information on a suction time from when a suction voltage for sucking a substrate is applied to the electrostatic chuck until a detection result by the detection means becomes a predetermined value; and a voltage control step of changing the magnitude of the chucking voltage applied to the electrostatic chuck based on the information acquired in the acquisition step.

In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing an electronic device, comprising: a substrate suction step of sucking a substrate onto the electrostatic chuck by the substrate suction method; an alignment step of aligning the substrate suctioned to the electrostatic chuck by the substrate suction step with a mask placed on a mask stage; and a film forming step of forming a film on the substrate through the mask.

In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for setting a process plan of a film forming apparatus including an electrostatic chuck for sucking a substrate and a detecting member for detecting suction of the substrate by the electrostatic chuck, the method comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring information on a suction time from when a suction voltage for sucking a substrate is applied to the electrostatic chuck until a detection result by the detection means becomes a predetermined value; and a schedule setting step of setting a process schedule of the film forming apparatus, wherein a time from a start of application of the suction voltage to the electrostatic chuck to a start timing of a process performed after suction of the substrate for one substrate is changed based on the information acquired in the acquisition step.

In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing an electronic device, comprising: a schedule setting step of setting the start timing by the schedule setting method; an alignment step of aligning the substrate attached to the electrostatic chuck with a mask placed on a mask stage at the start timing set in the schedule setting step; and a film forming step of forming a film on the substrate through the mask.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the present invention, a decrease in film formation accuracy can be suppressed.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a portion of a production line for electronic devices.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment.

Fig. 3 is an explanatory view of the substrate supporting unit and the suction plate.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of hardware of the film forming apparatus.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for manufacturing the film forming apparatus.

Fig. 6 is an explanatory view of a state of the film forming apparatus in each step of the flowchart of fig. 5.

Fig. 7 (a) is a schematic diagram showing a relationship between the electrostatic chuck and the substrate when the electrostatic chuck adsorbs the substrate, and (B) is a diagram showing an example of a conductive film pattern formed on the substrate.

Fig. 8 (a) and (B) are flowcharts showing an example of processing performed by the processing unit.

Fig. 9 is a graph showing a relationship between the adsorption voltage and the adsorption time.

Fig. 10 (a) and (B) are flowcharts showing an example of processing performed by the processing unit.

Fig. 11 (a) is an overall view of the organic EL display device, and (B) is a view showing a cross-sectional structure of one pixel.

Description of the reference numerals

1 Film forming apparatus, 5 mask stage, 6 substrate supporting unit, 141 processing unit, 15 electrostatic chuck, 151 electrode unit, 16 detecting unit, 100 substrate, 101 mask.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiments, all of the plurality of features are not necessarily essential to the invention, and a plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. In the drawings, the same or similar structures are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

Production line of electronic device

Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing a part of a structure of a production line of an electronic device to which a film forming apparatus of the present invention can be applied. In the production line of fig. 1, for example, for manufacturing a display panel of an organic EL display device for a smart phone, the substrate 100 is sequentially transported to the film forming module 301, and the organic EL element is formed on the substrate 100.

In the film forming module 301, a plurality of film forming chambers 303a to 303d for performing film forming processing on the substrate 100 and a mask storage chamber 305 for storing masks before and after use are disposed around a transfer chamber 302 having an octagonal shape in a plan view. A transfer robot 302a for transferring the substrate 100 is disposed in the transfer chamber 302. The transfer robot 302a includes a hand that holds the substrate 100 and a multi-joint arm that moves the hand in the horizontal direction. In other words, the film forming module 301 is a cluster type film forming unit in which a plurality of film forming chambers 303a to 303d are arranged so as to surround the periphery of the transfer robot 302a. Note that the film forming chambers 303a to 303d are collectively referred to as film forming chambers 303, or are not distinguished.

In the transport direction (arrow direction) of the substrate 100, a buffer chamber 306, a spin chamber 307, and a transfer chamber 308 are disposed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the film forming module 301, respectively. During the manufacturing process, the chambers are maintained in a vacuum state. Although only one film forming module 301 is illustrated in fig. 1, the production line of the present embodiment includes a plurality of film forming modules 301, and the plurality of film forming modules 301 are connected by a connecting device including a buffer chamber 306, a rotation chamber 307, and a delivery chamber 308. The structure of the coupling device is not limited to this, and may be constituted by only the buffer chamber 306 or the transfer chamber 308, for example.

The transfer robot 302a carries in the substrate 100 from the delivery chamber 308 on the upstream side to the transfer chamber 302, carries in the substrate 100 between the film forming chambers 303, carries in the mask between the mask holding chamber 305 and the film forming chambers 303, and carries out the substrate 100 from the transfer chamber 302 to the buffer chamber 306 on the downstream side.

The buffer chamber 306 is a chamber for temporarily storing the substrate 100 according to the operation conditions of the production line. A substrate storage shelf and a lifting mechanism, which are also called cassettes, are provided in the buffer chamber 306. The substrate storage shelf has a multilayer structure capable of storing a plurality of substrates 100 while maintaining a horizontal state in which the surface to be processed (film formation surface) of the substrates 100 is oriented downward in the gravitational direction. The lifting mechanism lifts and lowers the substrate storage shelf so that the layer in which the substrate 100 is carried in or out matches the carrying position. This allows a plurality of substrates 100 to be temporarily stored and retained in the buffer chamber 306.

The swivel chamber 307 includes a device for changing the orientation of the substrate 100. In the present embodiment, the rotation chamber 307 rotates the orientation of the substrate 100 by 180 degrees by a transfer robot provided in the rotation chamber 307. The transfer robot provided in the rotation chamber 307 rotates 180 degrees while supporting the substrate 100 received in the buffer chamber 306, and transfers the substrate to the transfer chamber 308, whereby the front end and the rear end of the substrate are exchanged in the buffer chamber 306 and the transfer chamber 308. Thus, the orientation when the substrate 100 is carried into the film forming chamber 303 is the same in each film forming module 301, and therefore, the scanning direction of the evaporation source with respect to the substrate 100 and the orientation of the mask can be made uniform in each film forming module 301. With such a configuration, the mask can be set in the mask storage chamber 305 in each film forming module 301 in a uniform orientation, and the mask management can be simplified and usability can be improved.

The control system of the production line includes a host device 300 for controlling the entire production line and control devices 14a to 14d, 309, 310 for controlling the respective configurations, and these devices can communicate via a wired or wireless communication line 300 a. The control devices 14a to 14d are provided corresponding to the film forming chambers 303a to 303d, and control the film forming apparatus 1 described later. Note that, when the control devices 14a to 14d are collectively referred to or not separately referred to, they are referred to as the control device 14.

The control device 309 controls the transfer robot 302 a. The control device 310 controls the device of the swivel chamber 307. The host device 300 transmits instructions such as information on the substrate 100 and conveyance timing to the control devices 14, 309, 310, and the control devices 14, 309, 310 control the respective configurations based on the received instructions.

Summary of film Forming apparatus

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of the film forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment. The film forming apparatus 1 provided in the film forming chamber 303 is an apparatus for forming a film of a vapor deposition material on the substrate 100, and forms a thin film of the vapor deposition material in a predetermined pattern through the mask 101. The substrate 100 to be formed by the film forming apparatus 1 may be made of a material such as glass, resin, or metal, and a material having a resin layer such as polyimide formed on glass is preferably used. The vapor deposition material may be an organic material, an inorganic material (metal, metal oxide, or the like), or the like. The film forming apparatus 1 can be applied to, for example, a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing electronic devices such as a display device (flat panel display or the like), a thin film solar cell, and an organic photoelectric conversion element (organic thin film imaging element), and an optical member, and in particular, a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing an organic EL panel. In the following description, an example in which the film forming apparatus 1 forms a film on the substrate 100 by vacuum deposition is described, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto, and can be applied to various film forming methods such as sputtering and CVD. In each figure, arrow Z indicates the vertical direction (gravitational direction), and arrow X and arrow Y indicate mutually orthogonal horizontal directions.

The film forming apparatus 1 has a vacuum chamber 3 (also simply referred to as a chamber) of a box type capable of holding the inside thereof as a vacuum. The internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is maintained in a vacuum environment or an inert gas environment such as nitrogen. In the present embodiment, the vacuum chamber 3 is connected to a vacuum pump, not shown. In the present specification, "vacuum" refers to a state filled with a gas having a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, in other words, refers to a reduced pressure state. A substrate support unit 6 for supporting the substrate 100 in a horizontal posture, a mask table 5 for supporting the mask 101, a film forming unit 4, a plate unit 9, and an electrostatic chuck 15 are disposed in the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3. The mask 101 is a metal mask having an opening pattern corresponding to a thin film pattern formed on the substrate 100, and is placed on the mask stage 5. The mask stage 5 may be replaced with another type of member for fixing the mask 101 at a predetermined position. As the mask 101, a mask having a structure in which a mask foil having a thickness of about several μm to several tens μm is welded and fixed to a frame-shaped mask frame can be used. The material of the mask 101 is not particularly limited, and for example, a metal having a small thermal expansion coefficient such as invar may be used. The film formation process is performed in a state where the substrate 100 is placed on the mask 101 and the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are overlapped with each other.

The plate unit 9 includes a cooling plate 10 and a magnet plate 11. The cooling plate 10 is suspended below the magnet plate 11 so as to be displaceable in the Z direction with respect to the magnet plate 11. The cooling plate 10 has a function of cooling the substrate 100 attached to the electrostatic chuck 15 at the time of film formation by being in contact with the electrostatic chuck 15 to be described later. The cooling plate 10 is not limited to a plate-like member provided with a water cooling mechanism or the like to actively cool the substrate 100, and may be a plate-like member that does not provide a water cooling mechanism or the like but is brought into contact with the electrostatic chuck 15 to extract heat from the substrate 100. The magnet plate 11 is a plate that attracts the mask 101 by magnetic force, and is placed above the substrate 100 to improve adhesion between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 during film formation.

In addition, the cooling plate 10 and the magnet plate 11 may be omitted as appropriate. For example, in the case where the cooling mechanism is provided to the electrostatic chuck 15, the cooling plate 10 may not be provided. In addition, in the case where the electrostatic chuck 15 adsorbs the mask 101, the magnet plate 11 may be omitted.

The film forming unit 4 is constituted by a heater, a shutter, a driving mechanism for an evaporation source, an evaporation rate monitor, and the like, and is a vapor deposition source for depositing a vapor deposition substance on the substrate 100. More specifically, in the present embodiment, the film forming unit 4 is a linear evaporation source in which a plurality of nozzles (not shown) are arranged in an aligned manner in the X direction and the vapor deposition material is discharged from each nozzle. For example, the linear evaporation source is reciprocally moved in the Y direction (the depth direction of the apparatus) by an evaporation source moving mechanism (not shown). In the present embodiment, the film forming unit 4 is provided in the vacuum chamber 3 that performs an alignment process described later. However, in the embodiment in which the film formation process is performed using a chamber different from the vacuum chamber 3 in which the alignment is performed, the film formation unit 4 is not disposed in the vacuum chamber 3.

In addition to fig. 2, the description is made with reference to fig. 3. Fig. 3 is an explanatory view of the substrate supporting unit 6 and the electrostatic chuck 15, and is a view of them from the lower side.

The substrate support unit 6 supports a peripheral edge portion of the substrate 100. The substrate support unit 6 includes a plurality of base portions 61a to 61d constituting an outer frame thereof, and a plurality of mounting portions 62 and 63 protruding inward from the base portions 61a to 61d. The placement portions 62 and 63 are also sometimes referred to as "receiving claws" or "fingers". The base portions 61a to 61d are supported by the support shaft R3, respectively. The plurality of placement portions 62 are arranged at intervals in the base portions 61a to 61d so as to receive the long side of the peripheral edge portion of the substrate 100. The plurality of mounting portions 63 are disposed at intervals in the base portions 61a to 61d so as to receive the short sides of the peripheral edge portion of the substrate 100. The substrate 100 carried into the film forming apparatus 1 by the transfer robot 302a is supported by the plurality of mounting portions 62 and 63. Hereinafter, the base portions 61a to 61d will be collectively referred to as "base portions 61" or "base portions" will be referred to as "base portions" if they are not distinguished.

In the present embodiment, the plurality of mounting portions 62 and 63 are constituted by plate springs, and when the substrate 100 supported by the plurality of mounting portions 62 and 63 is attracted to the electrostatic chuck 15, the peripheral edge of the substrate 100 can be pressed against the electrostatic chuck 15 by the elastic force of the plate springs.

In the example of fig. 3, the rectangular frame having a cutout in part is formed of four base portions 61, but the base portion 61 is not limited to this, and may be a rectangular frame having no gap so as to surround the outer periphery of the rectangular substrate 100. However, by providing the cutouts with the plurality of base portions 61, the transfer robot 302a can be allowed to avoid the base portions 61 and can be allowed to retract when the transfer robot 302a transfers the substrate 100 to and from the mounting portions 62 and 63. This can improve the efficiency of the conveyance and transfer of the substrate 100.

In addition, the following modes may be adopted: the substrate support unit 6 is provided with a plurality of clamping portions corresponding to the plurality of mounting portions 62 and 63, and the peripheral edge portion of the substrate 100 mounted on the mounting portions 62 and 63 is held and clamped by the clamping portions.

The electrostatic chuck 15 adsorbs the substrate 100. In the present embodiment, the electrostatic chuck 15 is provided between the substrate support unit 6 and the plate unit 9, and is supported by one or a plurality of support shafts R1. In the present embodiment, the electrostatic chuck 15 is supported by four support shafts R1. In one embodiment, the support shaft R1 is a cylindrical shaft.

The electrostatic chuck 15 has a structure in which a circuit such as a metal electrode is embedded in a ceramic substrate (also referred to as a substrate). The surface of the electrostatic chuck 15 may be polyimide (resin) or may be anodized with aluminum. In the present embodiment, the electrostatic chuck 15 has a plurality of electrode portions 151. The electrode portion 151 includes an electrode 1511 to which a positive (+) voltage is applied and an electrode 1512 to which a negative (-) voltage is applied. When a voltage is applied to the electrode 1511 and the electrode 1512, the polarized charges are guided to the substrate 100 by the ceramic base, and the substrate 100 is attracted and fixed to the attraction surface 150 of the electrostatic chuck 15 by electrostatic attraction (electrostatic force) between the substrate 100 and the electrostatic chuck 15.

In the present embodiment, each of the electrodes 1511 and 1512 has a metal member in the shape of comb teeth, and the comb teeth are alternately arranged so as to have a staggered structure. However, the structure of the electrode portion 151 may be appropriately set as long as electrostatic attraction can be generated between the substrate 100 as an adsorbate. The shape and number of the electrode portions 151 can be changed as appropriate. For example, one electrode portion 151 may be formed over substantially the entire suction surface 150 of the electrostatic chuck 15.

The electrostatic chuck 15 is formed with a plurality of openings 152, and a later-described alignment mark is imaged through the plurality of openings 152 by a later-described measuring means (first measuring means 7 and second measuring means 8), so that information on the relative positional relationship between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is obtained.

The position adjustment unit 20 adjusts the relative position of the substrate 100 whose peripheral edge portion is supported by the substrate support unit 6 or the substrate 100 and the mask 101 which are attracted by the electrostatic chuck 15. The position adjustment unit 20 adjusts the relative position of the substrate 100 with respect to the mask 101 by displacing the substrate support unit 6 or the electrostatic chuck 15 in the X-Y plane. That is, the position adjustment unit 20 may be a unit for adjusting the horizontal positional relationship between the mask 101 and the substrate 100. For example, the position adjustment unit 20 can displace the substrate support unit 6 in the X direction and the Y direction and rotate about the axis in the Z direction. In the present embodiment, the position of the mask 101 is fixed and the substrate 100 is displaced, and the relative positions thereof are adjusted, but the mask 101 may be displaced and adjusted, or both the substrate 100 and the mask 101 may be displaced. For example, the position adjustment unit 20 may displace the substrate support unit 6 by a known structure such as a motor as a driving source and a ball screw mechanism that converts a driving force of the motor into a linear motion.

The distance adjusting unit 22 adjusts the distance between the electrostatic chuck 15 and the substrate support unit 6 and the mask stage 5 by raising and lowering them, so that the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are moved closer to and away from each other in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the substrate 100. In the present embodiment, the distance adjustment unit 22 includes a first lift plate 220 that supports the electrostatic chuck 15 via a plurality of support shafts R1 and supports the substrate support unit 6 via a plurality of support shafts R3. The distance adjusting unit 22 lifts the first lift plate 220 to lift the electrostatic chuck 15 and the substrate supporting unit 6. That is, the distance adjusting unit 22 brings the substrate 100 and the mask 101 closer to each other in the overlapping direction or separates them in the opposite direction. The "distance" adjusted by the distance adjusting means 22 is a so-called vertical distance (or vertical distance), and the distance adjusting means may be said to be a means for adjusting the vertical position of the mask 101 and the substrate 100. For example, the position adjustment unit 20 may displace the first lifter plate 220 using a known structure such as a motor as a driving source and a ball screw mechanism that converts a driving force of the motor into linear motion. The distance adjustment unit 22 includes an actuator 65 that moves the substrate support unit 6 relative to the first lift plate 220, thereby changing the relative position of the substrate support unit 6 relative to the electrostatic chuck 15.

The distance adjusting means 22 according to the present embodiment fixes the position of the mask stage 5, moves the substrate supporting means 6 and the electrostatic chuck 15, and adjusts the distance in the Z direction between them, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The position of the substrate support unit 6 or the electrostatic chuck 15 may be fixed and the mask stage 5 may be moved to adjust the position, or the distance between the substrate support unit 6, the electrostatic chuck 15, and the mask stage 5 may be moved to adjust the distance therebetween.

The plate unit lifting means 13 lifts the second lifting plate 12 disposed outside the vacuum chamber 3, thereby lifting the plate unit 9 connected to the second lifting plate 12 and disposed inside the vacuum chamber 3. The plate unit 9 is coupled to the second lifter plate 12 via one or more support shafts R2. In the present embodiment, the plate unit 9 is supported by two support shafts R2. The support shaft R2 extends upward from the magnet plate 11, and is connected to the second lifter plate 12 through the openings of the upper wall portion 30, the openings of the fixed plate 20a and the movable plate 20b, and the opening of the first lifter plate 220. For example, the position adjustment unit 20 may displace the second lifter plate 12 by a known structure such as a motor as a driving source and a ball screw mechanism that converts driving force of the motor into linear motion.

The opening of the upper wall 30 of the vacuum chamber 3 through which the support shafts R1 to R3 pass has a size that allows the support shafts R1 to R3 to be displaced in the X direction and the Y direction. In order to maintain the air tightness of the vacuum chamber 3, a bellows or the like is provided in an opening of the upper wall portion 30 through which the support shafts R1 to R3 pass.

The measuring means (first measuring means 7 and second measuring means 8) measure the positional displacement between the mask 101 and the substrate 100 whose peripheral edge portion is supported by the substrate supporting means 6. The first measuring unit 7 and the second measuring unit 8 of the present embodiment are imaging devices (cameras) that capture images. The first measuring means 7 and the second measuring means 8 are disposed above the upper wall portion 30, and can capture an image of the inside of the vacuum chamber 3 through a window (not shown) formed in the upper wall portion 30.

In the present embodiment, alignment marks for alignment of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are formed on each of them. Further, a rough alignment mark for performing rough positional adjustment and a fine alignment mark for performing more accurate positional adjustment are provided on the substrate 100 and the mask 101, respectively.

The first measurement unit 7 is a low-magnification CCD camera (rough camera) having a relatively wide field of view but a low resolution, and measures the approximate positional displacement of the substrate 100 and the mask 101. For example, the first measuring unit 7 is provided with two to photograph rough alignment marks provided near the centers of the short sides of the substrate 100 and the mask 101, respectively, via the opening 152.

The second measurement unit 8 is a high-magnification CCD camera (fine camera) having a relatively narrow field of view but a high resolution (for example, on the order of several μm), and measures the positional shift of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 with high accuracy. The second measuring units 8 are provided with, for example, four, so as to take an image of fine alignment marks provided at four corners of the substrate 100 and the mask 101, respectively, via the openings 152.

In the present embodiment, after the rough positional adjustment of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is performed based on the measurement result of the first measurement unit 7, the precise positional adjustment of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is performed based on the measurement result of the second measurement unit 8.

Hardware architecture

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of hardware of the film forming apparatus 1. Fig. 4 is a diagram mainly showing a configuration related to the features of the present embodiment, and a part of the configuration is omitted.

The control device 14 controls the entire film forming apparatus 1. The control device 14 includes a processing unit 141, a storage unit 142, an input/output interface (I/O) 143, and a communication unit 144. The processing unit 141 is a processor typified by a CPU, and executes a program stored in the storage unit 142 to control the film forming apparatus 1. The storage unit 142 is a memory device such as ROM, RAM, HDD, and stores various control information in addition to the programs executed by the processing unit 141. The I/O143 is an interface for transmitting and receiving signals between the processing unit 141 and each component of the film forming apparatus 1. The communication unit 144 is a communication device that communicates with the higher-level device 300, the other control devices 14, 309, 310, and the like via the communication line 300a, and the processing unit 141 receives information from the higher-level device 300 via the communication unit 144 or transmits information to the higher-level device 300. All or part of the control device 14 and the upper device 300 may be constituted by PLC, ASIC, FPGA.

The power supply unit 17 is a power supply circuit that receives power from an external power supply 90 such as an ac power supply and converts the power into predetermined power. In the present embodiment, the power supply unit 17 includes a plurality of power supplies 171 corresponding to the plurality of electrode portions 151, respectively. The power source 171 applies a predetermined dc voltage to the electrode unit 151 based on an instruction from the processing unit 141.

The detection unit 16 detects the electrostatic capacitance of the electrode portion 151 of the electrostatic chuck 15. In the present embodiment, the detection unit 16 includes a plurality of detectors 161 corresponding to the plurality of electrode portions 151, respectively. That is, in the present embodiment, a plurality of groups of the electrode portion 151, the detector 161, and the power source 171 are provided. In the present embodiment, the detection unit 16 is provided outside the chamber 3.

In the present embodiment, the detection unit 16 does not need to provide an electrode for detecting electrostatic capacitance separately to the electrostatic chuck 15 in order to detect the electrostatic capacitance of the electrode portion 151 of the electrostatic chuck 15, and the like. This ensures a wide arrangement area of the electrode portion 151 of the electrostatic chuck 15, and improves the suction force of the electrostatic chuck 15.

In the present embodiment, the processing section 141 determines the time of suction of the substrate 100 by the electrostatic chuck 15 based on the detection result of the detection unit 16. Specifically, when the voltage applied to the electrode portion 151 by the power source 171 is constant, the capacitance between the electrode portion 151 and the substrate 100 changes according to the distance between the electrode portion 151 and the conductive film pattern (see fig. 7a and the like) formed on the substrate 100. Therefore, during the time when the substrate 100 is adsorbed, the capacitance between the electrode portion 151 and the substrate 100 increases as the distance therebetween decreases. On the other hand, when the adsorption of the substrate 100 is completed and the distance between the substrate 100 and the electrode portion 151 is no longer changed, a constant value is adopted. That is, the processing unit 141 can determine the time from the start of the voltage application to the electrode unit 151 by the power supply unit 17 until the electrostatic capacitance detected by the detection unit 16 becomes a stable value as the time for the suction of the substrate 100 by the electrostatic chuck 15.

In the present embodiment, as will be described later, the processing unit 141 controls the voltage value of the voltage applied to the plurality of electrode portions 151 by the power supply unit 17 or the timing of the voltage applied to the plurality of electrode portions 151 by the power supply unit 17 based on the detection result of the detection unit 16.

< Manufacturing Process of film Forming apparatus >

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for manufacturing the film forming apparatus 1. The present flowchart schematically shows the process performed by the film forming apparatus 1 on one substrate 100. Fig. 6 is an explanatory view of the state of the film forming apparatus 1 in each step.

Step S1 (hereinafter, simply referred to as S1, and the same applies to other steps) is a carry-in step. In this step, the substrate 100 is carried into the film forming apparatus 1 by the transfer robot 302 a. The substrate 100 carried in is supported by the substrate support unit 6 (state ST 100).

S2 is an adsorption process. For example, the processing unit 141 raises the substrate supporting unit 6 supporting the substrate 100 to a predetermined position (state ST 101). Here, in the state ST101, the peripheral edge portion of the substrate 100 supported by the substrate supporting unit 6 is positioned in contact with or slightly away from the electrostatic chuck 15. On the other hand, since the central portion of the substrate 100 is deflected by its own weight, it is located at a position farther from the electrostatic chuck 15 than the peripheral portion. The processing unit 141 applies a voltage to the electrode unit 151 by the power supply unit 17 in the state ST101 to generate a suction force, thereby sucking the substrate 100 by the electrostatic chuck 15 (state ST 102).

S3 is an alignment procedure. The processing unit 141 lowers the electrostatic chuck 15 having the substrate 100 attached thereto by the distance adjusting means 22, and brings the substrate 100 close to the mask 101. Then, the position adjustment unit 20 adjusts the horizontal positions of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 (state ST 103).

S4 is a film forming process. In preparation for this, the processing unit 141 brings the aligned substrate 100 into contact with the mask 101. Next, the processing unit 141 lowers the plate unit 9, and further brings the substrate 100 into close contact with the mask 101 by the magnetic force of the magnet plate 11 (state ST 104). In this state, the processing unit 141 causes the film forming unit 4 to deposit the vapor deposition material on the substrate 100.

S5 is a stripping process. The processing unit 141 peels the substrate 100 from the electrostatic chuck 15 by stopping the voltage applied to the electrode unit 151 (state ST 100). The processing unit 141 may decrease the chucking voltage of the electrode unit 151 to such an extent that the electrostatic chuck 15 cannot maintain the chucking of the substrate 100 without stopping the voltage application to the electrode unit 151.

S6 is a carrying-out process. In this step, the substrate 100 is carried out of the film forming apparatus to the outside of the apparatus by the transfer robot 302 a.

< Adsorption onto substrate by electrostatic chuck >)

Fig. 7 (a) is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the electrostatic chuck 15 and the substrate 100 when the electrostatic chuck 15 attracts the substrate 100. Fig. 7 (B) is a diagram showing an example of the conductive film pattern formed on the substrate 100.

First, the attraction force to the substrate 100 by the electrostatic chuck 15 will be described. The suction force F of the electrostatic chuck 15 is calculated by the following formula (1).

F＝Kε0εV2/2r2···(1)

Here, K is a constant of the overlapping ratio of the electrode pattern of the electrostatic chuck 15 and the conductive film pattern of the substrate 100. Epsilon 0 is the dielectric constant of vacuum, epsilon is the dielectric constant of the dielectric layer (dielectric layer 153 of electrostatic chuck 15, the resultant dielectric constant of vacuum and substrate thickness from the surface layer of electrostatic chuck 15 to the substrate suction surface), V is the suction voltage of power source 171, and r is the thickness of the dielectric layer. The thickness r of the dielectric layer is the sum of the thickness of the dielectric layer 153 of the electrostatic chuck 15 and the distance from the suction surface 150 to the conductive film 1000 of the substrate 100.

In the present embodiment, since the electrode pattern on the electrostatic chuck 15 side is substantially constant, the constant K is determined to be a value corresponding to the pattern density of the conductive film of the substrate 100. Specifically, the larger the pattern density of the conductive film of the substrate 100 is, the larger the constant K becomes. For example, the conductive film 1000 of the substrate 100 shown in fig. 7 (a) has a pattern density greater than that of the conductive film 1000a of the substrate 100 shown in fig. 7 (B). Therefore, the constant K of the substrate 100 of fig. 7 (a) is larger than the constant K of the substrate 100 of fig. 7 (B).

When the chucking voltage V is constant, the larger the constant K is, the larger the chucking force F of the electrostatic chuck 15 becomes, as is known from the equation (1). The greater the suction force F, the shorter the suction time from the start of voltage application by the power source 171 until the substrate 100 is sucked by the electrostatic chuck 15. Therefore, the adsorption time of the substrate 100 shown in fig. 7 (a) is shorter than that of the substrate shown in fig. 7 (B). As described above, when the adsorption voltage V is constant, the adsorption time varies according to the type of the substrate 100, more specifically, according to the pattern density of the conductive film of the substrate 100.

In the manufacturing process by the film forming apparatus 1, the following may be the case: the process plan is managed so that the next process starts after a predetermined time has elapsed, based on the start of the suction of the substrate 100 by the electrostatic chuck 15. In the example of fig. 5, the process plan is managed so that the alignment process (S3) is started as the next process after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the application of the chucking voltage V to the electrode portion 151 of the electrostatic chuck 15 in the chucking process (S2). In such a case, when the suction time varies depending on the type of the substrate 100, the next process may be started in a state where the suction of the substrate 100 by the electrostatic chuck 15 is insufficient.

When the next process is started in a state where the suction of the substrate 100 by the electrostatic chuck 15 is insufficient, the film formation accuracy in the subsequent film formation process (S4) may be lowered. For example, when the next step is an alignment step, alignment is performed in a state where the substrate 100 is deflected, and thus alignment accuracy may be lowered. The decrease in alignment accuracy may affect film formation accuracy. Further, for example, when the film formation process is performed in a state where the suction of the substrate 100 by the electrostatic chuck 15 is insufficient, there is a case where film formation accuracy such as so-called "film blurring" in which film formation is not performed in such a manner that the shape and size of the opening provided in the mask are reduced due to the influence of the deflection of the substrate 100.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the following processing is performed, whereby the reduction in film formation accuracy is suppressed.

< Treatment example 1 >

Fig. 8 (a) is a flowchart showing a processing example of the processing section 141. The outline of the present flowchart is as follows: the attraction voltage V to the electrode portion 151 of the electrostatic chuck 15 is set based on the attraction time of the substrate 100 by the electrostatic chuck 15. Further, the following is the case: when substrates 100 are processed in a batch, the adsorption voltage V at the time of substrate adsorption is set based on the adsorption time of the first plurality of substrates 100 in the batch. For example, the present flowchart is started when the first substrate 100 in a batch of a plurality of substrates 100 is suctioned by the electrostatic chuck 15.

In S10, the processing unit 141 sets the set value of the attraction voltage V of the electrode unit 151 to the reference voltage VS. In the present embodiment, since the plurality of power sources 171 are provided for the plurality of electrode portions 151, the processing portion 141 sets the set value to the voltage VS for each electrode portion 151, for example. Here, it can be said that the initialization of the set value of the adsorption voltage V is performed. The value of the reference voltage VS can be set appropriately.

In S11, the processing unit 141 sets the number of measurement blocks to i=1. For example, the processing unit 141 stores the set number of measurement blocks (i=1) in the storage unit 142. The step is the initialization of the control parameters.

In S12, the processing unit 141 checks whether or not the measured block number i is equal to or smaller than the predetermined block number PN, and if the measured block number i is equal to or smaller than the predetermined block number PN, the process proceeds to S13, and if the measured block number i exceeds the predetermined block number PN, the process proceeds to S15. The predetermined block number PN is set to the number of blocks of the substrate 100 for performing step S13 described later. The predetermined block number PN can be set appropriately, but may be, for example, a predetermined block number pn=3 to 5.

In S13, the processing unit 141 (measurement means) executes adsorption time measurement processing. For example, as described above, the processing unit 141 measures the time from the start of application of the adsorbing voltage V to the electrode unit 151 until the electrostatic capacitance value detected by the detecting means 16 becomes a stable value as the adsorbing time. That is, the processing unit 141 obtains the detection result of the detection unit 16, and determines the adsorption time based on the obtained detection result. In the present embodiment, since the detector 161 is provided for each of the plurality of electrode portions 151, the processing portion 141 measures the adsorption time for each detector 161. In other words, the processing section 141 determines the adsorption time at a plurality of positions of the electrostatic chuck 15 based on the detection results of the plurality of detectors 161.

In S14, the processing unit 141 sets the number of measurement blocks to i=i+1. That is, the number of measurement blocks i is increased by 1. For example, the processing unit 141 updates the number i of measurement blocks stored in the storage unit 142. Thereafter, the processing unit 141 returns to S12, and repeats the processing. That is, the adsorption time measurement process of S13 is performed on the PN block substrate 100.

If no is entered in the branch of S12, in S15, the processing unit 141 (voltage control means) executes the voltage setting process based on the measurement result in S13. Thereafter, the flowchart is ended.

Fig. 8 (B) is a flowchart showing an example of the processing performed by the processing unit 141, and shows a specific example of S15. In the present embodiment, since the adsorption time is measured for each electrode portion 151 based on the detection results of the plurality of detectors 161, the processing unit 141 can execute the processing of the present flowchart for each electrode portion 151 sequentially or in parallel.

In S151, the processing unit 141 checks whether or not the adsorption time T is equal to or longer than the threshold Th1, and if the adsorption time T is equal to or longer than the threshold Th1 (equal to or longer than the threshold), the processing proceeds to S152, and if the adsorption time T is shorter than the threshold Th1, the processing proceeds to S153.

Here, the adsorption time T is the adsorption time of the substrate 100 based on the measurement result in the adsorption time measurement process of S13. For example, the adsorption time T may be an average value of adsorption times of the substrates 100 of the predetermined number PN. The method of setting the adsorption time T may be appropriately changed, and may be, for example, an average value of values obtained by subtracting outliers from the adsorption time of the substrate 100 of the predetermined number of blocks PN, or a median value of the adsorption time of the substrate 100 of the predetermined number of blocks PN.

The threshold Th1 may be set based on a reference time TS of the suction time of the substrate 100 by the electrostatic chuck 15. For example, when the allowable range TA of the adsorption time T is represented by the reference time TS and the allowable error T0, the threshold value th1=ts+t0 may be set (see fig. 9). The reference time TS is a reference value of the adsorption time of the substrate 100 by the electrostatic chuck 15, which is preset when the film forming apparatus 1 performs the adsorption process of the substrate 100. For example, the reference time TS may be a suction time when the electrostatic chuck 15 sucks the substrate 100 having a predetermined conductive film pattern density at a predetermined suction voltage V.

In S152, the processing unit 141 increases the set value of the attraction voltage V to the electrode 151 by the power source 171. When the adsorption time T is equal to or longer than the threshold Th1, the adsorption time T is longer than the reference time TS. Therefore, the processing unit 141 increases the chucking voltage V to increase the chucking force F of the electrostatic chuck 15, thereby shortening the chucking time of the substrates 100 in the batch.

In S153, the processing unit 141 checks whether or not the adsorption time T is equal to or shorter than the threshold Th2 (equal to or shorter than the threshold Th 1), and if the adsorption time T is equal to or shorter than the threshold Th2 (equal to or shorter than the threshold), the routine proceeds to S154, and if the adsorption time T exceeds the threshold Th2, the flowchart is terminated. For example, when the allowable range TA of the adsorption time T is represented by the reference time TS and the allowable error T0, the threshold value th2=ts—t0 may be set.

In S154, the processing unit 141 decreases the set value of the attraction voltage V to the electrode 151 by the power source 171. When the adsorption time T is equal to or shorter than the threshold Th2, the adsorption time T becomes shorter than the reference time TS. Therefore, the processing unit 141 reduces the chucking voltage V, thereby reducing the chucking force F of the electrostatic chuck 15 and lengthening the chucking time of the substrates 100 in the batch.

Fig. 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the adsorption voltage V and the adsorption time T. Fig. 9 shows a relationship between the adsorption voltage V and the adsorption time T for three types of substrates 100a to 100c having different conductive film pattern densities. The pattern density of the conductive film on each substrate is increased in the order of 100a, 100b, and 100 c. In the example of fig. 9, when the adsorption voltage V is set to the reference voltage VS for the substrate 100a having the largest pattern density of the conductive film, the adsorption time T1 is smaller than the threshold value Th2 (S153: "yes"). Therefore, the processing unit 141 sets the pull-in voltage to V1 lower than VS (S154)). This makes it possible to bring the adsorption time T within the allowable range TA. Next, when the suction voltage V is set as the reference voltage VS, the suction time T2 falls within the allowable range TA for the substrate 100b (S151: "no" and S153: "no"). Therefore, the processing unit 141 does not change the set value of the voltage from the pull-in voltage VS. Finally, in the substrate 100c having the smallest conductive film pattern density, the adsorption time T3 exceeds the threshold Th1 with the adsorption voltage V set as the reference voltage VS (S151: "yes"). Therefore, the processing unit 141 sets the pull-in voltage to V3 higher than VS (S152). This makes it possible to bring the adsorption time T within the allowable range TA.

As described above, according to the present processing example, the chucking voltage of the electrostatic chuck 15 is set based on the chucking time of the substrate 100 by the electrostatic chuck 15. This can suppress the subsequent processes from being performed in a state where the electrostatic chuck 15 is not sufficiently attached to the substrate 100, and can suppress a decrease in film formation accuracy in the film formation process with respect to the substrate 100.

In the present processing example, when the suction voltage V is set to the reference voltage VS, the suction voltage V at the time of suction of the subsequent substrate 100 is set to a value different from the reference voltage VS when the suction time T is out of the predetermined range, that is, when the suction time T is not in the range from the threshold Th2 to the threshold Th 1. Specifically, when the adsorption time T is equal to or greater than the threshold Th1, the processing unit 141 sets the adsorption voltage V to a voltage higher than the reference voltage VS. In this way, since the suction time T can be adjusted in a direction to bring the suction time T into a predetermined range, it is possible to suppress the processing of the subsequent process from being performed in a state where the suction of the substrate 100 by the electrostatic chuck 15 is insufficient. This can suppress a decrease in film formation accuracy in the film formation process with respect to the substrate 100.

When the adsorption time T is equal to or less than the threshold Th2, the processing unit 141 sets the adsorption voltage V to a voltage lower than the reference voltage VS. When the adsorption time T is equal to or less than the threshold Th2, the adsorption force F may be higher than necessary. In such a case, in the peeling step S5, the substrate 100 may not be peeled off smoothly from the electrostatic chuck 15, and peeling failure may occur. Therefore, when the adsorption time T is short, the adsorption voltage V is set low to generate an appropriate adsorption force F, thereby suppressing peeling failure of the substrate 100.

In addition, according to the present processing example, the suction voltage V with respect to the subsequent substrates 100 is set based on the suction time T of the first plurality of substrates 100 in the same batch. Therefore, the suction voltage V with respect to the substrate 100 having the same substrate characteristics can be set based on the actual measurement value of the suction time T.

In the present embodiment, since the attraction voltage V is set for each electrode portion 151, the attraction force of the electrostatic chuck 15 can be set for each position where the electrode portion 151 is disposed. This enables more efficient adjustment of the suction force of the electrostatic chuck 15. However, the voltages of the electrode portions 151 may be set uniformly. For example, the average time and the latest time of the adsorption time of the plurality of electrode portions 151 to the substrate 100 may be set as the adsorption time T of the substrate 100, and the adsorption voltage V of the plurality of electrode portions 151 may be set uniformly based on the adsorption time T. In this case, the power source 171 may be provided in one piece for the plurality of electrode portions 151.

The electrode unit 151 may be divided into a plurality of groups, and the power source 171 may be provided for each group. For example, in the case where nine electrode portions 151 are provided in the electrostatic chuck 15 as shown in fig. 3, three electrode portions 151 aligned in the longitudinal direction may be provided in one group, and a power source 171 capable of applying a voltage to each group of electrode portions 151 may be provided.

In the above-described example, the case where the processing unit 141 measures the time from the start of application of the adsorption voltage V to the electrode unit 151 until the electrostatic capacitance value detected by the detection means 16 becomes a stable value as the adsorption time has been described. Instead of setting the time until the capacitance value reaches the stable value as the adsorption time, the time until the capacitance value reaches a predetermined threshold value may be set as the adsorption time. In this case, even if the capacitance value changes (i.e., even if it is unstable), it can be determined that the adsorption time has elapsed.

< Treatment example 2 >

Fig. 10 (a) is a flowchart showing a processing example of the processing section 141. The outline of the present flowchart is as follows: a process plan after the start of the suction of the substrate 100 by the electrostatic chuck 15 is set for the subsequent substrate 100 based on the suction time of the substrate 100 by the electrostatic chuck 15. Specifically, the setting of the process plan may be the setting of the start timing of the subsequent process. Further, the following may be the case: when substrates 100 are processed in a batch, the start timing of the process after the start of the suction of the substrates 100 by the electrostatic chuck 15 for the subsequent substrates 100 is set based on the suction time of the first plurality of substrates 100 in the batch.

That is, when the comparison with the processing example 1 is described, in the processing example 1, when the suction time T of the substrate 100 does not fall within the allowable range TA, the suction voltage V is changed so that the suction time T falls within the allowable range TA. This can prevent the substrate 100 from being adsorbed insufficiently, and thus prevent the film formation accuracy from being lowered in the film formation process. On the other hand, in processing example 2, when the adsorption time T of the substrate 100 does not fall within the allowable range TA, the start timing of the next process is changed, so that it is possible to suppress the progress to the next process or the like in a state where the adsorption of the substrate 100 is insufficient, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in film formation accuracy in the film formation process.

For example, the present flowchart is started when the first substrate 100 in a batch of a plurality of substrates 100 is suctioned by the electrostatic chuck 15.

Hereinafter, the following will be described: when the film forming apparatus 1 performs the process shown in fig. 5, after the suction by the electrostatic chuck 15 is started in the suction process of S2, the timing to start the alignment process of S3 is set. In the present embodiment, the following will be described: when the start timing of the alignment process of S3 is changed, the start timings of the subsequent processes (S4 to S6) are also changed.

In S20, the processing unit 141 sets the start timing after the start of the suction of the substrate 100 of the electrostatic chuck 15 as a reference value. The processing of S21 to S24 is the same as the processing of S11 to S14, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted. In S25, the processing unit 141 (schedule control means) sets the timing of starting the alignment process as a schedule setting of the process in the film forming apparatus 1, and ends the flowchart.

Fig. 10 (B) is a flowchart showing a specific example of the process of S25. S251 and S253 are the same processes as S151 and S153, respectively, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

In S252, the processing unit 141 sets the timing of starting the alignment process, which is a subsequent process, to be later with respect to the subsequent substrate 100. When the adsorption time T is equal to or longer than the threshold Th1, the adsorption time T is longer than the reference time TS. Therefore, the processing unit 141 sets the start timing of the subsequent process to be late.

In S254, the processing unit 141 sets the timing of starting the alignment process, which is a subsequent process, to be earlier for the subsequent substrate 100. When the adsorption time T is equal to or shorter than the threshold Th2, the adsorption time T becomes shorter than the reference time TS. Therefore, the processing unit 141 sets the start timing of the subsequent process to be early.

As described above, according to the present processing example, when the suction voltage V is set to the reference voltage VS, the start timing of the subsequent process is set to a timing different from the reference value when the suction time T is out of the predetermined range, that is, not in the range from the threshold Th2 to the threshold Th 1. Specifically, when the adsorption time T is equal to or longer than the threshold Th1, the start timing of the subsequent process is set to be late, and when the adsorption time T is equal to or shorter than the threshold Th2, the start timing of the subsequent process is set to be early. This can suppress the subsequent processes from being performed in a state where the electrostatic chuck 15 is not sufficiently attached to the substrate 100, and can suppress a decrease in film formation accuracy in the film formation process with respect to the substrate 100. When the suction time T is short, the timing of starting the subsequent process is advanced, and the subsequent process is performed immediately after the substrate 100 is sucked by the electrostatic chuck 15. This can shorten the processing time of the film forming apparatus 1 with respect to one substrate 100.

The change of the start timing is not limited to the change of the start timing of the process immediately after the suction of the substrate 100 by the electrostatic chuck 15. For example, the processing unit 141 may change the start timing of the film formation process of S4 and thereafter, instead of changing the start timing of the alignment process of S3.

Method for manufacturing electronic device

Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an electronic device will be described. Hereinafter, as examples of the electronic device, a structure and a manufacturing method of the organic EL display device are illustrated. In this example, the film forming module 301 illustrated in fig. 1 is provided at three places on a production line, for example.

First, an organic EL display device to be manufactured is explained. Fig. 11 (a) is an overall view showing the organic EL display device 50, and fig. 11 (B) is a view showing a cross-sectional structure of one pixel.

As shown in fig. 11 (a), a plurality of pixels 52 each including a plurality of light-emitting elements are arranged in a matrix in a display region 51 of the organic EL display device 50. The light emitting elements each have a structure including an organic layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes, which will be described later in detail.

The pixel herein refers to the smallest unit in which a desired color can be displayed in the display area 51. In the case of a color organic EL display device, the pixel 52 is configured by a combination of a plurality of sub-pixels, i.e., a first light-emitting element 52R, a second light-emitting element 52G, and a third light-emitting element 52B, which emit light different from each other. The pixel 52 is generally composed of a combination of three sub-pixels of a red (R) light emitting element, a green (G) light emitting element, and a blue (B) light emitting element, but is not limited thereto. The pixel 52 may include at least one type of sub-pixel, preferably two or more types of sub-pixels, and more preferably three or more types of sub-pixels. The sub-pixels constituting the pixel 52 may be, for example, a combination of four sub-pixels, that is, a red (R) light-emitting element, a green (G) light-emitting element, a blue (B) light-emitting element, and a yellow (Y) light-emitting element.

Fig. 11 (B) is a partially cross-sectional schematic view at line a-B of fig. 11 (a). The pixel 52 includes a plurality of sub-pixels each including an organic EL element including a first electrode (anode) 54, a hole transport layer 55, one of a red layer 56R and a green layer 56G and a blue layer 56B, an electron transport layer 57, and a second electrode (cathode) 58 on a substrate 53. Among them, the hole transport layer 55, the red layer 56R, the green layer 56G, the blue layer 56B, and the electron transport layer 57 correspond to organic layers. The red layer 56R, the green layer 56G, and the blue layer 56B are formed in patterns corresponding to light-emitting elements (sometimes also referred to as organic EL elements) that emit red light, green light, and blue light, respectively.

The first electrode 54 is formed separately for each light-emitting element. The hole transport layer 55, the electron transport layer 57, and the second electrode 58 may be formed in common over the plurality of light emitting elements 52R, 52G, and 52B, or may be formed for each light emitting element. That is, as shown in fig. 11 (B), the hole transport layer 55 may be formed as a layer common to a plurality of sub-pixel regions, the red layer 56R, the green layer 56G, and the blue layer 56B may be formed separately for each sub-pixel region, and the electron transport layer 57 and the second electrode 58 may be formed as a layer common to a plurality of sub-pixel regions over the red layer, the green layer, and the blue layer.

Further, in order to prevent short-circuiting between the adjacent first electrodes 54, an insulating layer 59 is provided between the first electrodes 54. Further, since the organic EL layer is degraded by moisture and oxygen, a protective layer 60 for protecting the organic EL element from moisture and oxygen is provided.

In fig. 11 (B), the hole transport layer 55 and the electron transport layer 57 are shown as one layer, but may be formed of a plurality of layers including a hole blocking layer and an electron blocking layer according to the structure of the organic EL display element. In addition, a hole injection layer having a band structure that enables smooth injection of holes from the first electrode 54 into the hole transport layer 55 may be formed between the first electrode 54 and the hole transport layer 55. Similarly, an electron injection layer may be formed between the second electrode 58 and the electron transport layer 57.

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

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

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

First, a substrate 53 on which a circuit (not shown) for driving the organic EL display device and a first electrode 54 are formed is prepared. The material of the substrate 53 is not particularly limited, and may be glass, plastic, metal, or the like. In the present embodiment, as the substrate 53, a substrate in which a film of polyimide is laminated on a glass substrate is used.

A resin layer such as acrylic or polyimide is applied to the substrate 53 on which the first electrode 54 is formed by bar coating or spin coating, and the resin layer is patterned by photolithography so as to form an opening in a portion where the first electrode 54 is formed, and an insulating layer 59 is formed. The opening corresponds to a light emitting region where the light emitting element actually emits light.

The substrate 53 on which the insulating layer 59 is patterned is carried into the first film formation chamber 303, and the hole transport layer 55 is formed as a common layer on the first electrode 54 in the display region. The hole transport layer 55 is formed using a mask in which openings are formed in each display region 51 of a panel portion which is finally one organic EL display device.

Next, the substrate 53 formed to the hole transport layer 55 is carried into the second film formation chamber 303. Alignment of the substrate 53 and the mask is performed, the substrate is placed on the mask, and a red layer 56R is formed on a portion (a region where a red subpixel is formed) of the hole transport layer 55 where the red light emitting element of the substrate 53 is arranged. Here, the mask used in the second film formation chamber is a high-definition mask in which openings are formed only in a plurality of regions of the sub-pixel which becomes red out of a plurality of regions on the substrate 53 which becomes the sub-pixel of the organic EL display device. Thus, the red layer 56R including the red light emitting layer is formed only in the region of the sub-pixel which is red out of the regions of the substrate 53 which are the sub-pixels. In other words, the red layer 56R is not formed in the region of the blue subpixel and the region of the green subpixel among the regions of the plurality of subpixels on the substrate 53, and is selectively formed in the region of the red subpixel.

In the same manner as the formation of the red layer 56R, the green layer 56G is formed in the third film formation chamber 303, and the blue layer 56B is formed in the fourth film formation chamber 303. After the formation of the red layer 56R, the green layer 56G, and the blue layer 56B, the electron transport layer 57 is formed in the fifth film formation chamber 303 over the entire display region 51. The electron transport layer 57 is formed as a common layer on the three color layers 56R, 56G, 56B.

The substrate formed to the electron transport layer 57 is moved to the sixth film formation chamber 303, and the film is formed on the second electrode 58. In the present embodiment, each layer is formed by vacuum deposition in the first to sixth film forming chambers 303 to 303. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the film formation of the second electrode 58 in the sixth film formation chamber 303 may be performed by sputtering. Thereafter, the substrate formed to the second electrode 58 is moved to a sealing device, and the protective layer 60 is formed into a film by plasma CVD (sealing process), and the organic EL display device 50 is completed. The protective layer 60 is formed by CVD, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be formed by ALD or inkjet.

Here, for the film formation in the first to sixth film formation chambers 303, film formation is performed using a mask in which openings corresponding to the pattern of each layer to be formed are formed. In the film formation, after the relative position adjustment (alignment) of the substrate 53 and the mask is performed, the substrate 53 is placed on the mask and film formation is performed. The alignment step performed in each film forming chamber is performed as described above.

< Other embodiments >

In the above embodiment, the initialization of the pull-in voltage V is performed in S10 or S20, but this step can be omitted. For example, in the case where the substrates 100 are processed in the batch unit, the pull-in voltage V in the previous batch may be used as the initial value of the pull-in voltage V.

Alternatively, in the case where the substrates 100 are processed in the batch unit, when the substrates 100 in the next batch have the same pattern density of the conductive film as the substrates 100 in the previous batch, the process itself of the foregoing < process example 1 > or < process example 2 > may be omitted. In this case, for example, the process of the film forming apparatus 1 may be performed based on the set value of the adsorption voltage V or the start timing set in the process for the previous lot. For example, the set value of the adsorption voltage V or the start timing in the subsequent lot may be set based on an average value of set values from the initial lot to a plurality of lots (for example, 2 to 5 lots). In addition, when the substrate 100 in the next lot has a different conductive film pattern density from the substrate 100 in the previous lot, the processing of < processing example 1 > or < processing example 2 > may be performed, and the set value of the adsorption voltage V or the start timing may be set again.

In the above embodiment, the adsorption time T is determined based on the detection result of the detection unit 16 that detects the electrostatic capacitance of the electrode portion 151, but the adsorption time T may be determined by another method. For example, one or more contact sensors capable of detecting contact with the substrate 100 may be provided to the electrostatic chuck 15. The processing unit 141 may determine the time from the start of the voltage application to the electrode unit 151 until the touch sensor detects the contact with the substrate 100 as the adsorption time. For example, the touch sensor may be a mechanical sensor having a contact that can advance and retreat in the suction direction of the substrate 100, and that displaces the contact by contact with the substrate 100 to output a predetermined electric signal. Thus, the adsorption time T can be determined by a simple structure.

Further, the adsorption time T may be determined based on a detection result of a distance measuring sensor or the like capable of optically detecting a distance from the substrate 100, for example. For example, such a distance measuring sensor may be provided below the electrostatic chuck 15, and the time from the start of voltage application to the electrostatic chuck 15 until the distance between the substrate 100 and the distance measuring sensor becomes a stable value may be determined as the adsorption time T.

In the above embodiment, the processing unit 141 of the control device 14 of the film forming apparatus 1 executes the processing of < processing example 1 > or < processing example 2 > described above. However, the host apparatus 300 or the like that uniformly controls the production line of the electronic devices may perform the processing of < processing example 1 > or < processing example 2 > described above. Alternatively, the processing of < processing example 1 > or < processing example 2 > may be performed by another device capable of communicating with the control device 14.

The invention can also be realized by the following processes: the program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or an apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and the program is read and executed by one or more processors in a computer of the system or the apparatus. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the claims are appended to disclose the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A control device for a film forming apparatus comprising an electrostatic chuck for sucking a substrate and a detecting member for detecting the suction of the substrate by the electrostatic chuck,

The detection means detects the electrostatic capacitance between the substrate and the electrostatic chuck in a state where a constant voltage is applied to the electrostatic chuck,

The control device is provided with:

an acquisition unit that acquires, based on the electrostatic capacitance detected by the detection unit, a time from application of a suction voltage for sucking a substrate to the electrostatic chuck until the electrostatic capacitance detected by the detection unit becomes a stable value as information on a suction time; and

And a voltage control unit that changes a magnitude of the chucking voltage that starts to be applied to the electrostatic chuck for chucking the substrate after the chucking, based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein,

The voltage control means sets, when the attraction voltage is set to a first voltage and the attraction time is out of a predetermined range, the attraction voltage at the time of attraction of the subsequent substrate to a second voltage different from the first voltage.

3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein,

The voltage control means sets the suction voltage at a voltage higher than the first voltage when the suction time is equal to or longer than a first threshold value when the suction voltage is set at the first voltage.

4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein,

The voltage control means sets the suction voltage at a voltage lower than the first voltage when the suction time is equal to or less than a second threshold value when the suction voltage is set at the first voltage.

5. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein,

The voltage control means sets the suction voltage at the time of suction of the subsequent substrates based on the suction time of the predetermined number of substrates.

6. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein,

The detecting part detects adsorption of the substrate at a plurality of positions of the electrostatic chuck,

The voltage control section changes the attraction voltage based on the attraction time determined from the detection results of the attraction of the substrates at the plurality of positions.

7. The control device according to claim 6, wherein,

The electrostatic chuck comprises a plurality of electrode portions,

The voltage control means sets the attraction voltage for each of the electrode portions based on the attraction time determined from the detection results of the attraction of the substrate at the plurality of positions.

8. The control device according to claim 6, wherein,

The electrostatic chuck comprises a plurality of groups each having a plurality of electrode portions,

The voltage control section sets the attraction voltage for each of the groups based on the attraction time determined from the detection results of the attraction of the substrates at the plurality of positions.

9. The control device according to claim 1, wherein,

The control device further comprises a schedule control unit for controlling a process schedule of the film forming device,

The schedule control means changes a time from a start of application of the chucking voltage to the electrostatic chuck to a start timing of a process performed after chucking of a substrate, for a subsequent substrate, based on the information acquired by the acquisition means.

10. The control device according to claim 9, wherein,

When the start timing is set to be a first timing, the schedule control unit sets the start timing of a process performed after the suction of a subsequent substrate to be a second timing different from the first timing when the suction time is out of a predetermined range.

11. The control device according to claim 9, wherein,

The schedule control means sets the start timing of a process performed after the suction of the subsequent substrate to be later than the first timing when the suction time is equal to or longer than a third threshold value when the start timing is set to be the first timing.

12. The control device according to claim 9, wherein,

When the start timing is set to be the first timing, the schedule control unit sets the start timing of a process performed after the suction of the subsequent substrate to be earlier than the first timing when the suction time is equal to or less than a fourth threshold.

13. The control device according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that,

The schedule control means sets the start timing of a process performed after the suction of the subsequent substrate based on the suction time of the predetermined number of substrates.

14. The control device according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that,

The step performed after the suction of the substrate is an alignment step of aligning the substrate sucked by the electrostatic chuck with a mask.

15. The control device according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that,

The schedule control means changes the start timing based on the suction time determined from the detection results of suction of the substrate at the plurality of positions.

16. A film forming apparatus, characterized in that,

The film forming apparatus includes:

an electrostatic chuck that adsorbs a substrate; and

A detection means for detecting the suction of the substrate by the electrostatic chuck,

The film forming apparatus is controlled by the control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. The film forming apparatus according to claim 16, wherein,

The detection means is an electrostatic capacity sensor that detects an electrostatic capacity between the substrate and the electrostatic chuck.

18. The film forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein,

The film forming apparatus further includes a measuring means for measuring, as the adsorption time, a time from when the voltage for adsorption is started to be applied to the electrostatic chuck until the electrostatic capacitance becomes a stable value.

19. The film forming apparatus according to claim 16, wherein,

The detecting member is a contact sensor that detects contact of a substrate with the electrostatic chuck.

20. A substrate suction method for a film forming apparatus having an electrostatic chuck for sucking a substrate and a detecting member for detecting suction of the substrate by the electrostatic chuck,

The substrate adsorption method comprises the following steps:

A detection step of detecting an electrostatic capacitance between a substrate and the electrostatic chuck in a state where a constant voltage is applied to the electrostatic chuck;

an acquisition step of acquiring, as information on a suction time, a time from application of a suction voltage for sucking a substrate to the electrostatic chuck to a stable value of the electrostatic capacitance detected in the detection step, based on the electrostatic capacitance detected in the detection step; and

And a voltage control step of changing the magnitude of the chucking voltage to be applied to the electrostatic chuck in order to chuck the substrate after the chucking based on the information acquired in the acquisition step.

21. A method for manufacturing an electronic device, characterized in that,

The manufacturing method of the electronic device comprises the following steps:

A substrate suction process in which a substrate is sucked to the electrostatic chuck by the substrate suction method according to claim 20;

An alignment step of aligning the substrate suctioned to the electrostatic chuck by the substrate suction step with a mask placed on a mask stage; and

And a film forming step of forming a film on the substrate through the mask.

22. A method for setting a process plan of a film forming apparatus having an electrostatic chuck for sucking a substrate and a detecting member for detecting suction of the substrate by the electrostatic chuck,

The plan setting method includes:

An acquisition step of acquiring, as information on a suction time, a time from application of a suction voltage for sucking a substrate to the electrostatic chuck to a stable value of the electrostatic capacitance detected in the detection step, based on the electrostatic capacitance detected in the detection step;

A voltage control step of changing a magnitude of the chucking voltage to be applied to the electrostatic chuck for chucking the substrate, based on the information acquired in the acquisition step; and

A schedule setting step of setting a process schedule of the film forming apparatus,

In the schedule setting step, a time from a start of application of the chucking voltage to the electrostatic chuck to a start timing of a process performed after chucking of a substrate is changed for a subsequent substrate based on the information acquired in the acquiring step.

23. A method for manufacturing an electronic device, characterized in that,

a schedule setting step of setting the start timing by the schedule setting method according to claim 22;

an alignment step of aligning the substrate attached to the electrostatic chuck with a mask placed on a mask stage at the start timing set in the schedule setting step; and

And a film forming step of forming a film on the substrate through the mask.