JP7250599B2 - Film forming apparatus and film forming method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus for forming a resin layer made of energy ray curable resin.

When an energy ray curable resin such as an ultraviolet curable resin is cured to form a resin layer on a substrate, the following two steps are typically performed. Specifically, the substrate is supported by a cooling stage, and a raw material gas containing the resin is supplied onto the substrate supported by the cooling stage; and a step of forming.

In recent years, in particular, the process of supplying raw material gas onto the substrate and the process of forming a cured resin layer on the substrate by means of ultraviolet rays are not performed in separate vacuum chambers. A film forming apparatus is provided which is performed in one vacuum chamber.

JP 2013-064187 A

In the film forming apparatus, the inside of the vacuum chamber is evacuated to adjust the pressure even during the supply of the raw material gas. However, depending on the exhaust speed and the connection position of the exhaust system, the flow of the raw material gas in the vacuum chamber may be uneven or disturbed due to the exhaust, and the film thickness distribution may not be uniform.

In order to solve this problem, there is a method of providing an exhaust groove for the raw material gas around the stage and regulating the exhaust of the raw material gas by the exhaust groove. However, although it is necessary to quickly exhaust the raw material gas from the vacuum chamber after film formation, the exhaust groove restricts the exhaust speed, which poses a problem that production efficiency cannot be improved.

In view of the circumstances as described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a film forming apparatus and a film forming method capable of uniforming the film thickness distribution and improving the production efficiency.

To achieve the above object, a film forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a chamber, a stage, a light source unit, a gas supply section, an exhaust groove, an exhaust system, and a driving mechanism.
The chamber has a film forming chamber.
The stage is arranged in the film forming chamber.
The light source unit has an irradiation source that irradiates energy rays, and is arranged to face the stage in one axial direction.
The gas supply unit supplies, toward the stage, a raw material gas containing an energy ray-curable resin that is cured by being irradiated with the energy ray.
The exhaust groove is arranged on the outer circumference of the stage in the deposition chamber, and has a first opening width in a first state and a second opening width wider than the first opening width in a second state. , variably configured between.
The exhaust system is connected to the deposition chamber and exhausts the raw material gas that has passed through the exhaust groove.
The drive mechanism switches the exhaust groove between the first state and the second state.

In this configuration, the opening width of the exhaust groove is variable. As a result, the opening width of the exhaust groove can be narrowed in the film forming process in which it is desired to restrict the exhaust gas, and unevenness and turbulence of the exhaust gas flow can be suppressed. Thereby, the film thickness distribution can be made uniform. Furthermore, in a process requiring evacuation, the opening width can be widened to increase the evacuation speed. As a result, the exhaust time can be shortened and the production efficiency can be improved.

For example, the exhaust groove
a first channel member including a first aperture formation extending along the periphery of the stage;
a second groove member including a second opening forming portion extending along the periphery of the stage and forming an opening of the exhaust groove together with the first opening forming portion, the second groove member being disposed on the outer periphery of the first groove member; and
The second opening forming portion is configured to be further separated from the first opening forming portion in the second state than in the first state,
The drive mechanism may switch the second groove member between the first state and the second state.
As a result, the exhaust groove can be composed of two divided members, and the width of the opening can be made variable by deforming or displacing only one of the second groove members. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the complication of the apparatus configuration due to the change in the opening width.

For example, the first opening forming portion and the second opening forming portion may be configured in a ring shape surrounding the outer periphery of the stage.
As a result, the exhaust groove is annularly opened along the outer circumference of the stage. Therefore, unevenness and disturbance of the flow of the exhaust gas can be prevented more effectively, and the film thickness distribution can be made uniform by placing the exhaust groove in the first state in the film forming process. Also, in the second state, the exhaust efficiency can be enhanced, and the exhaust time can be further shortened.

Specifically, the second groove member faces the first groove member in the first state, and extends from the first groove member along the uniaxial direction in the second state. keep apart,
The drive mechanism may move the second groove member up and down along the uniaxial direction.
Thereby, the first state and the second state are switched by moving the second groove member along one axial direction. Therefore, complication of the device configuration can be more effectively prevented.

Furthermore, in this case, the first groove member further includes a convex portion that bends from the first opening forming portion and protrudes outward from the film forming chamber,
The second groove member may further include a concave portion that is bent from the second opening forming portion and recesses outward from the film formation chamber.
As a result, a curved flow path is formed in the first state, and the gas flow velocity in the exhaust groove can be further reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the exhaust speed during the film formation to which the first state is applied, and to more effectively suppress the deviation of the film thickness distribution due to the exhaust.

For example, the drive mechanism
a substrate elevating pin extending in the uniaxial direction and capable of supporting a substrate placed on the stage by a tip portion thereof;
a groove member elevating pin extending in the uniaxial direction and capable of supporting the second groove member by a tip portion thereof;
and a driving unit for lifting and lowering the substrate lifting pins and the member lifting pins in the uniaxial direction.
Thus, the substrate can be raised and lowered and the second groove member can be raised and lowered by one driving mechanism. Therefore, it is possible to prevent complication of the device configuration due to the elevation of the second groove member.

Further, the exhaust groove may further have a heating mechanism for heating the flow path of the raw material gas.
As a result, it is possible to prevent the cooled source gas from adhering to the channel of the exhaust groove and hardening.

In addition, the above film forming apparatus
controlling the drive mechanism to set the exhaust groove to the first state;
After setting the exhaust groove to the first state, controlling the gas supply unit to supply the raw material gas toward the substrate;
controlling the driving mechanism so as to switch the exhaust groove to the second state after supplying the film forming gas;
A control unit configured to control the exhaust system so as to exhaust the raw material gas in the deposition chamber after switching the exhaust groove to the second state may be further provided.

A film formation method according to another aspect of the present invention includes a step of placing a substrate on a stage arranged in a film formation chamber of a chamber.
An opening of an exhaust groove arranged on an outer circumference of the stage in the film forming chamber is set to have a first opening width.
After setting the opening to the first opening width, a raw material gas containing an energy ray curable resin that is cured by being irradiated with an energy ray is supplied toward the substrate.
After supplying the film forming gas, the opening of the exhaust groove is switched to a second opening width wider than the first opening width.
After switching the opening width to the second opening width, the raw material gas in the film forming chamber is exhausted.
After exhausting the raw material gas, the substrate is irradiated with the energy beam.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a film forming apparatus and a film forming method capable of making the film thickness distribution uniform and improving the production efficiency.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the film-forming apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view seen from the II-II direction of FIG. 1; 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 1, showing the configuration of the exhaust groove of the film forming apparatus in the first state; FIG. It is a flow chart which shows the film-forming method using the said film-forming apparatus. FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a main part of the film forming apparatus in the film forming process shown in FIG. 4; FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a main part of the film forming apparatus in the film forming process shown in FIG. 4; FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a main part of the film forming apparatus in the film forming process shown in FIG. 4; A is a graph showing an example of changes in pressure in the film forming chamber in each step of the above film forming method, where the horizontal axis indicates time and the vertical axis indicates pressure. B is a graph showing a part of A by enlarging the interval on the vertical axis. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the exhaust groove in a second state; It is a schematic block diagram which shows the principal part of the film-forming apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the principal part in the film-forming process of the said film-forming apparatus. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the principal part in the film-forming process of the said film-forming apparatus. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the essential parts of a film forming apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention; It is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of a film forming apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. It is a sectional view showing the important section of the film-forming apparatus concerning the modification of the above-mentioned embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a film forming apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic cross-sectional view seen from the same direction as in FIG. 2; FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a film forming apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention;

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
[Configuration of deposition apparatus]
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a film forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view seen from the II-II direction of FIG. In the drawing, the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction indicate horizontal directions orthogonal to each other, and the Z-axis direction indicates a direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

The film forming apparatus 100 is a film forming apparatus for forming a resin film on a substrate W from an ultraviolet curable resin that is an energy ray curable resin. The film forming apparatus 100 includes a chamber 10 , a stage 15 , a light source unit 20 , a gas supply section 30 , an exhaust groove 40 , a driving mechanism 50 and a control section 60 .

(chamber)
The chamber 10 is a metal vacuum vessel with an opening formed at the top. The chamber 10 has a film forming chamber 11 partitioned by a bottom portion 10a and side walls 10b. The bottom portion 10a of the chamber 10 is configured in a rectangular shape as an example, but may be circular or other shapes. The deposition chamber 11 is connected to an exhaust system 19 capable of exhausting or maintaining a predetermined reduced-pressure atmosphere. The exhaust system 19 has, for example, piping, a pressure regulating valve, a flow rate controller, a vacuum pump, and the like, which are not shown.

The chamber 10 further has a top plate 14 that hermetically closes the opening. For example, the top plate 14 has a window portion 141 that transmits ultraviolet rays UV and a frame portion 142 that supports the window portion 141 . The window portion 141 is made of an ultraviolet transmitting material such as quartz glass. The number of windows 141 is not particularly limited, and may be singular or two or more.

(stage)
A stage 15 is arranged in the film forming chamber 11 . The stage 15 has a support surface 15a that supports the substrate W and faces in the Z-axis direction. The stage 15 has a cooling mechanism (not shown) and is cooled below a predetermined temperature. The cooling mechanism cools the substrate W to an appropriate temperature sufficient to condense the ultraviolet curable resin in the raw material gas, which will be described later. The substrate W is a glass substrate, but may be a semiconductor substrate. The shape and size of the substrate W are not particularly limited, and may be rectangular or circular.

The stage 15 further has a plurality of through holes 151 through which substrate lifting pins 51 of the driving mechanism 50 (to be described later) are inserted. Each through-hole 151 is configured to penetrate from the support surface 15a of the stage 15 to the rear surface, and as shown in FIG.

(light source unit)
The light source unit 20 has a cover 21 and an illumination source 22 . The cover 21 is arranged, for example, on the top plate 14 and has a light source chamber 23 that houses the irradiation source 22 . The light source chamber 23 is, for example, an air atmosphere. The irradiation source 22 is a light source that irradiates ultraviolet rays UV as energy rays toward the stage 15 through the window 141 of the top plate 14, and is typically composed of an ultraviolet lamp. The irradiation source 22 is not limited to this, and a light source module in which a plurality of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) that emit ultraviolet rays UV are arranged in a matrix may be adopted.

(Gas supply unit)
The gas supply unit 30 has, for example, a plurality of gas supply pipes 31 , and supplies raw material gas containing a resin (ultraviolet curable resin) that is cured by being irradiated with ultraviolet rays UV toward the stage 15 .

For example, an acrylic resin can be used as the ultraviolet curable resin material. Moreover, it is also possible to add a polymerization initiator or the like to the above resin. A raw material gas containing such a resin is generated by a raw material gas generator (not shown) installed outside the chamber 10 . The raw material gas generated by the raw material gas generator is introduced into the gas supply pipe 31 of the gas supply section 30 through the pipe.

The gas supply pipe 31 has a plurality of gas discharge holes (not shown), and is configured to be able to discharge the raw material gas to the film forming chamber 11 . The raw material gas discharged into the film forming chamber 11 is exhausted by the exhaust system 19 through an exhaust groove 40 which will be described later.

(exhaust groove)
FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of FIG. 1 showing the configuration of the exhaust groove 40. As shown in FIG.
The exhaust groove 40 has a first groove member 41 and a second groove member 42 and is arranged on the outer periphery of the stage 15 inside the film forming chamber 11 . The first groove member 41 is arranged on the stage 15 side. The second groove member 42 is arranged on the outer circumference of the first groove member 41 with a gap therebetween. A gap between the first groove member 41 and the second groove member 42 serves as a flow path Q for exhaust gas. The gas that has passed through the flow channel Q of the exhaust groove 40 is exhausted by an exhaust system 19 (not shown in FIG. 3) connected to a region of the film formation chamber 11 below the exhaust groove 40 in the Z-axis direction.

The first groove member 41 includes a first opening forming portion 411 and a convex portion 412 in this embodiment. The first groove member 41 may be supported by a support member or the like (not shown) extending from the bottom portion 10a of the chamber 10, or may be supported by being adhered to the stage 15 or the like.

The first opening forming portion 411 forms part of the opening P and extends along the periphery of the stage 15 . The first opening forming portion 411 includes an upper surface portion 411a facing upward in the Z-axis direction and a side surface portion 411b facing outward of the film forming chamber 11 .

The convex portion 412 bends and protrudes outward from the film forming chamber 11 from the first opening forming portion 411 . The convex portion 412 includes an upper surface portion 412a that bends and extends from the side surface portion 411b, and a side surface portion 412b that bends from the upper surface portion 412a and faces outward (toward the side wall 10b) of the film formation chamber 11 .

The second groove member 42 includes a second opening forming portion 421 and a recess 422 in this embodiment. The second groove member 42 is movably supported by a driving mechanism 50, which will be described later.

The second opening forming portion 421 forms the opening P of the exhaust groove 40 together with the first opening forming portion 411 and extends along the periphery of the stage 15 . The second opening forming portion 421 has a structure protruding inward of the film forming chamber 11 (toward the stage 15), and has an upper surface portion 421a facing upward in the Z-axis direction and an inner portion of the film forming chamber 11. facing side 421b.

The concave portion 422 is bent from the second opening forming portion 421 and recessed to the outside of the film forming chamber 11 . The concave portion 422 includes a lower surface portion 422 a that bends and extends from the second opening forming portion 421 , and a side surface portion 422 b that bends and extends from the lower surface portion 422 a and faces the inside of the film forming chamber 11 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the exhaust groove 40 is annularly arranged around the stage 15 in this embodiment. For this reason, the first opening forming portion 411 and the second opening forming portion 411 are formed in an annular shape surrounding the outer periphery of the stage 15, and the opening P is also formed in an annular shape. Therefore, the raw material gas supplied to the film forming chamber 11 flows radially outward from the central portion of the film forming chamber 11, and the film thickness distribution can be made uniform.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the exhaust groove 40 further has a heating mechanism 43 that heats the first groove member 41 and the second groove member 42 . The heating mechanism 43 is configured, for example, as a heater such as a resistance heating wire built in the first groove member 41 and the second groove member 42 . The heating mechanism 43 heats the raw material gas passage Q of the exhaust groove 40 , and prevents the cooled and condensed raw material gas from adhering to the exhaust groove 40 and hardening.

The second groove member 42 is driven by a driving mechanism 50. As shown in FIG. Thereby, as will be described later, the opening width of the opening P is configured to be variable.

(drive mechanism)
As shown in FIG. 1, the driving mechanism 50 includes a substrate lifting pin 51, a groove member lifting pin 52, and a drive unit 53 for lifting and lowering the substrate lifting pin 51 and the groove member lifting pin 52 in the Z-axis direction. and have In FIG. 1, for convenience, the substrate lifting pins 51 and the groove member lifting pins 52 are shown on the same cross section.

The substrate lifting pins 51 extend along the Z-axis direction and are configured to be able to be inserted into the through holes 151 of the stage 15 . The substrate lifting pin 51 is configured such that the tip portion 51a protrudes from the support surface 15a and the substrate W can be supported by the tip portion 51a when the substrate W is carried in and out.

The groove member elevating pin 52 extends along the Z-axis direction, and is configured to be capable of supporting the second groove member 42 with the tip portion 52a. In this embodiment, the groove member lifting pins 52 are longer than the substrate lifting pins 51 in the Z-axis direction.

The drive unit 53 has a support plate 531 and an elevator 532 in this embodiment. The support plate 531 supports the substrate lifting pins 51 and the groove member lifting pins 52 . The elevator 532 is composed of a driving device such as a motor, and lifts and lowers the support plate 531 in the Z-axis direction.

(control part)
The controller 60 is typically composed of a computer and controls each part of the film forming apparatus 100 . The following film forming method is performed by the control unit 60 using the film forming apparatus 100 .

[Deposition method]
FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a film forming method using the film forming apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 5 to 7 are schematic configuration diagrams of main parts showing different aspects of the film forming apparatus 100. FIG. The operation of the film forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 to 7. FIG.

(Step S01: Loading substrate)
In step S<b>01 , the substrate W is carried into the film forming chamber 11 . The substrate W is carried into the film formation chamber 11 through an opening (not shown) of the side wall 10b or the like by a substrate transfer device.

As shown in FIG. 5, the driving unit 53 arranges the substrate lifting pin 51 at the substrate supporting position where the tip portion 51a protrudes from the supporting surface 15a. The substrate W carried in by the substrate transfer device is placed on the tip portion 51a of the protruding substrate lifting pin 51 .

At this time, the tip portion 52a of the groove member lifting pin 52 is located above the tip portion 51a of the substrate lifting pin 51 in the Z-axis direction, and the second groove member 42 is positioned above the loaded substrate W in the Z-axis direction, for example. direction upwards.

(Step S02: Placing the substrate on the stage)
Subsequently, the drive unit 53 lowers the substrate lifting pin 51 in the Z-axis direction to a standby position where the tip portion 51a does not protrude from the support surface 15a. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6 , the substrate W descends downward in the Z-axis direction together with the tip portion 51 a and is placed on the support surface 15 a of the stage 15 .

The drive unit 53 also lowers the second groove member 42 downward in the Z-axis direction as the substrate lifting pin 51 descends. As a result, the second groove member 42 is brought into the first state shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the first state, the first groove member 41 and the second groove member 42 face each other in the inside and outside directions of the film forming chamber 11 (the X-axis direction in the example shown in FIG. 3). are doing. The upper surface 411a of the first opening forming portion 411 and the upper surface 421a of the second opening forming portion 421 are arranged substantially on the same plane. As a result, the opening P opens in the Z-axis direction.

In the first state, the opening P of the exhaust groove 40 has a first opening width D1. The first opening width D1 is the distance between the first opening forming portion 411 and the second opening forming portion 421, specifically, the distance between the ends of the upper surface portion 411a and the upper surface portion 421a. be. The first opening width D1 is, for example, about 1 to 50 mm.

Further, in the first state, the flow path Q of the exhaust groove 40 includes a first flow path Q1 extending downward in the Z-axis direction from the opening P and a second flow path Q1 extending bent from the first flow path Q1. Q2, and a third flow path Q3 that bends from the second flow path Q2 and extends downward in the Z-axis direction. The first flow path Q1 is formed by the gap between the side portion 411b and the side portion 421b. The second flow path Q2 is formed by the gap between the upper surface portion 412a and the lower surface portion 422a. The third flow path Q3 is configured by the gap between the side portion 412b and the side portion 422b. As a result, a narrow flow path Q that bends at two points is formed in the exhaust groove 40 in the first state.

(Step S03: Cooling of substrate)
In step S03, the substrate W on the stage 15 is cooled. In this step, in addition to cooling the stage 15 by the substrate cooling mechanism, cooled inert gas such as nitrogen is introduced into the film forming chamber 11 to cool the substrate W to -5° C. or lower, for example. At this time, the exhaust groove 40 maintains the first state in which the opening width D1 is narrow.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing an example of changes in pressure in the film forming chamber 11 in each step in the film forming method of this embodiment, where the horizontal axis indicates time and the vertical axis indicates pressure.

As shown in FIG. 8, in this step, a cooled inert gas is introduced into the film forming chamber 11 to increase the pressure in the film forming chamber 11 . In this step, since the exhaust groove 40 is in the first state, the inert gas is not excessively exhausted, and cooling can be performed efficiently.

(Step S04: Switching exhaust groove 40 to second state)
In step S<b>04 , the drive unit 53 raises the second groove member 42 upward in the Z-axis direction via the groove member elevating pin 52 . Thereby, as shown in FIG. 7, the exhaust groove 40 is switched to the second state.

At this time, the substrate elevating pins 51 shorter than the groove member elevating pins 52 continue to be arranged at the standby position where they do not protrude from the support surface 15a. This can prevent the substrate W from separating from the support surface 15a when the exhaust groove 40 is in the second state.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of the exhaust groove 40 in the second state. In the second state, the second groove member 42 is arranged higher in the Z-axis direction than in the first state. That is, the upper surface portion 421a and the lower surface portion 422a of the second groove member 42 are arranged above the upper surface portion 411a of the first groove member 41 in the Z-axis direction. As a result, the second opening forming portion 421 is separated from the first opening forming portion 411 in the Z-axis direction, and the opening P faces the inside of the film forming chamber 11 (the X-axis direction in the example of FIG. 9). It is in an open state.

In the second state, the opening P of the exhaust groove 40 has a second opening width D2 larger than the first opening width D1. The second opening width D2 is the distance along the Z-axis direction from the upper surface portion 411a of the first opening forming portion 411 to the lower end portion of the side surface portion 421b of the second opening forming portion 421 in this embodiment. . The second opening width D2 is, for example, larger than the first opening width D1 and about 100 mm or less.

(Step S05: pressure regulation)
In step S05, as shown in FIG. 8, the inside of the film forming chamber 11 is adjusted to a film forming pressure of about 0 to 200 Pa, for example. In this step, the pressure in the film forming chamber 11 is adjusted by exhausting the inert gas introduced in step S02 from the exhaust groove 40 in the second state.

In the second state, the passage Q of the exhaust groove 40 is widened as a whole in addition to the opening P, so that the exhaust performance of the exhaust groove 40 is greatly enhanced.
If the exhaust groove 40 were in the first state, the width of the opening P and the flow path Q would be narrow, the exhaust speed would be regulated, and this step would take a long time. In addition, if the gas is not sufficiently exhausted, the pressure in the next film formation process may not reach the target pressure, and the film formation may become unstable.

Therefore, in this embodiment, in step S04, the exhaust groove 40 is switched to the second state, and the opening width and the flow path are widened to enhance the exhaust performance. As a result, the exhaust speed of the inert gas in the exhaust groove 40 can be increased, and the time required for the pressure adjustment process can be shortened.

(Step S06: Switching exhaust groove 40 to first state)
In step S<b>06 , the drive unit 53 lowers the second groove member 42 upward in the Z-axis direction via the groove member elevating pin 52 . As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the exhaust groove 40 is switched to the first state, and the opening width is set to the first opening width D1.

(Step S07: Film formation)
In step S<b>07 , the source gas is supplied from the gas supply unit 30 to the film forming chamber 11 . When the raw material gas reaches the cooled substrate W, the resin in the raw material gas condenses on the substrate W to form an ultraviolet curable resin layer.

As shown in FIG. 8, in step S04, the inside of the film forming chamber 11 is adjusted to maintain a substantially constant pressure while the raw material gas is being supplied. Therefore, the supplied raw material gas is exhausted from the exhaust groove 40 in the first state.

Here, if the opening width of the exhaust groove 40 is as wide as the second opening width D2, the flow velocity of the raw material gas increases at the periphery of the stage 15 near the exhaust groove 40, and the gas flow in the film forming space is reduced. become unstable. As a result, the film thickness uniformity cannot be maintained particularly at the peripheral edge of the substrate W, and the desired film formation quality cannot be obtained. Further, since the exhaust speed increases, it is difficult to improve the film forming speed, and the film forming process takes a long time.

Therefore, in this embodiment, in step S06, the exhaust groove 40 is switched to the first state, and the width of the opening and the width of the flow path are narrowed to decrease the exhaust speed. As a result, the material gas to be exhausted can be regulated to lower the exhaust speed, and the film thickness distribution can be made uniform. Furthermore, since the raw material gas stays in the film forming chamber 11 for a long time, the film forming speed increases and the time required for the film forming process can be shortened.

(Step S08: Switching exhaust groove 40 to second state)
In step S<b>08 , the drive unit 53 raises the second groove member 42 upward in the Z-axis direction via the groove member elevating pin 52 . As a result, the exhaust groove 40 is switched to the second state shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, and the opening width is switched to the second opening width D2.
It should be noted that the "second state" referred to here can be any second opening width D2 larger than the first opening width D1 (for example, 100 mm or less), and the second opening width D2 set in step S04. may be the same as or different from the opening width D2 of .

(Step S09: Exhaust)
In step S09, as shown in FIG. 8B, the raw material gas in the film forming chamber 11 is exhausted and the pressure in the film forming chamber 11 is lowered. In this step, since the exhaust groove 40 is in the second state, the exhaust speed can be increased. Thereby, the time required for this step can be shortened. Further, by enhancing the exhaust performance of the exhaust groove 40, the inside of the film forming chamber 11 can be sufficiently exhausted.

(Step S10: UV irradiation)
In step S10, the substrate W is irradiated with ultraviolet rays UV from the irradiation source 22 . As a result, the resin layer condensed on the substrate W is cured. The ultraviolet rays UV reach the substrate W through, for example, between adjacent gas supply pipes 31 .

(Step S11: unload substrate)
In step S11, the drive unit 53 raises the substrate lifting pin 51 in the Z-axis direction to a position where the tip portion 51a protrudes from the support surface 15a. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the substrate W is separated from the support surface 15a in the Z-axis direction, and the substrate W is transferred to a substrate transfer device (not shown). As a result, the substrate W after film formation is carried out from the film formation chamber 11 .

As described above, in the present embodiment, the exhaust groove 40 is set to the first state in which the opening width is narrow before the film formation process of step S07. As a result, the gas flow in the film forming chamber 11 can be stabilized, and the film thickness distribution can be made uniform.

Further, before the pressure adjustment process of step S05 and the exhaust process of step S09, the exhaust groove 40 is switched to the second state in which the opening width is wide. This can increase the pumping speed and reduce the time required for these steps. Therefore, the time required for the entire film formation process can be shortened, and production efficiency can be improved.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the substrate lifting pins 51 used for transporting the substrate and the groove member lifting pins 52 used for lifting the second groove member 42 are connected to the same driving portion 53 . As a result, the configuration of the drive mechanism 50 can be simplified, and the cost of the drive mechanism 50 can be reduced.

On the other hand, regarding the drive mechanism 50, it is also possible to configure the drive mechanism for raising and lowering the substrate and the drive mechanism for raising and lowering the groove members separately. This configuration will be described below as a second embodiment.
In each of the following embodiments, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as in the above-described first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

<Second embodiment>
[Configuration of deposition apparatus]
FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the essential parts of a film forming apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
A film forming apparatus 200 includes a chamber 10, a stage 15, a light source unit 20, a gas supply unit 30, and an exhaust groove 40 similar to those of the first embodiment, but includes a driving mechanism 70 different from that of the first embodiment. In addition, in FIG. 10, configurations such as the light source unit 20 and the gas supply unit 30 are omitted.

The drive mechanism 70 has a first drive mechanism 71 and a second drive mechanism 72 in this embodiment. The first drive mechanism 71 is a drive mechanism for raising and lowering the substrate W, and the second drive mechanism 72 is a drive mechanism for raising and lowering the second groove member 42 .

The first driving mechanism 71 has substrate lifting pins 711 and a first driving section 712 . The substrate lifting pins 711 are configured in the same manner as the substrate lifting pins 51 described above. The first driving section 712 has a support plate and an elevator, like the driving section 53 , and moves the substrate lifting pins 711 up and down.

The second driving mechanism 72 has a groove member elevating pin 721 and a second driving portion 722 . The groove member elevating pin 721 is configured in the same manner as the groove member elevating pin 52 described above. The second driving section 722 has a support plate and an elevator, like the driving section 53 , and moves the groove member lifting pin 721 up and down.

In the drive mechanism 70 having such a configuration, the groove member elevating pins 721 are driven independently of the substrate elevating pins 711 .

[Operation of deposition apparatus]
11 and 12 are schematic configuration diagrams showing aspects of the film forming apparatus 200 different from FIG. The operation of the film forming apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the flow chart showing the film forming method in FIG. 4 and FIGS.

(Step S01: Loading substrate)
In step S<b>01 , the substrate W is carried into the film forming chamber 11 . When the substrate is loaded, only the first drive mechanism 71 is driven, and as shown in FIG. As a result, the substrate W is placed on the tip portion 711 a of the substrate lifting pin 711 . At this time, the second drive mechanism 72 is not driven, and the second groove member 42 is on standby in the first state.

(Step S02: Placing the substrate on the stage)
In step S02, the first drive mechanism 71 lowers the substrate lifting pin 711 in the Z-axis direction to a standby position where the tip portion 711a does not protrude from the support surface 15a. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 10 , the substrate W descends downward in the Z-axis direction together with the tip portion 51 a and is placed on the support surface 15 a of the stage 15 . Also in this step, the second drive mechanism 72 is not driven, and the second groove member 42 is on standby in the first state.

(Step S03: Cooling of substrate)
In step S03, the substrate W on the stage 15 is cooled as in the first embodiment. At this time, since the second groove member 42 is in the first state, the exhaust of the inert gas for cooling is restricted, and the substrate W can be cooled efficiently.

(Step S04: Switching the exhaust groove to the second state)
In step S04, as shown in FIG. 12, the second drive mechanism 72 raises the second groove member 42 upward in the Z-axis direction via the groove member elevating pin 721. As shown in FIG. As a result, the exhaust groove 40 is switched to the second state in which the opening width is wide. At this time, the first drive mechanism 71 is not driven, and the substrate lifting pins 711 are still waiting at the waiting position.

(Step S05: pressure regulation)
In step S05, the inert gas is exhausted from the film forming chamber 11, and the pressure inside the film forming chamber 11 is adjusted, as in the first embodiment. At this time, since the second groove member 42 is in the second state with the wide opening width, the inert gas is quickly exhausted from the film forming chamber 11, and the time required for the pressure adjustment process can be shortened. Note that the board lifting pins 711 are on standby at the standby position.

(Step S06: Switching the exhaust groove to the first state)
In step S<b>06 , the second drive mechanism 72 lowers the second groove member 42 downward in the Z-axis direction via the groove member elevating pin 721 . As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, the exhaust groove 40 is switched to the first state in which the opening width is narrow. Note that the substrate lifting pin 711 is not driven and continues to wait at the standby position.

(Step S07: Film formation)
In step S07, the raw material gas is supplied from the gas supply unit 30 to the film forming chamber 11, and an ultraviolet curable resin layer is formed on the substrate W, as in the first embodiment.

At this time, the second groove member 42 is in the first state in which the opening width is narrow. As a result, the material gas to be exhausted can be regulated to lower the exhaust speed, and the film thickness distribution can be made uniform. Moreover, since the raw material gas stays in the film forming chamber 11 for a long time, the film forming speed can be increased and the time required for this step can be shortened. Note that the board lifting pins 711 are on standby at the standby position.

(Step S08: Switching exhaust groove 40 to second state)
In step S<b>08 , the second drive mechanism 72 raises the second groove member 42 upward in the Z-axis direction via the groove member elevating pin 721 . As a result, as shown in FIG. 12, the exhaust groove 40 is switched to the second state in which the opening width is wide. At this time, the first drive mechanism 71 is not driven, and the substrate lifting pins 711 are still waiting at the waiting position.
It should be noted that the "second state" referred to here can be any second opening width D2 larger than the first opening width D1 (for example, 100 mm or less), and the second opening width D2 set in step S04. may be the same as or different from the opening width D2 of .

(Step S09: Exhaust)
In step S09, the raw material gas in the film forming chamber 11 is exhausted, as in the first embodiment.
At this time, since the second groove member 42 is in the second state with the wide opening width, the exhaust speed can be increased and the time required for this step can be shortened. Note that the board lifting pins 711 are on standby at the standby position.

(Step S10: UV irradiation)
In step S10, as in the first embodiment, the substrate W is irradiated with ultraviolet rays UV from the irradiation source 22, and the resin layer condensed on the substrate W is cured.
At this time, the second groove member 42 may be in the second state with the wide opening width, or may be switched to the first state with the narrow opening width by the second driving mechanism 72 . Note that the board lifting pins 711 are on standby at the standby position.

(Step S11: unload substrate)
In step S11, the first driving mechanism 71 raises the substrate lifting pins 711 to the substrate supporting position in the Z-axis direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11, the substrate W is separated from the support surface 15a in the Z-axis direction, and the substrate W is transferred to a substrate transfer device (not shown). The transferred substrate W is unloaded from the film forming chamber 11 .
At this time, the second groove member 42 may be in the second state with a wide opening width, or may be switched to the first state with a narrow opening width.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the first driving mechanism 71 for raising and lowering the substrate and the second driving mechanism 72 for raising and lowering the second groove member 42 are driven independently. As a result, the movements of the substrate lifting pins 711 and the groove member lifting pins 721 are minimized. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the generation of particles in the film forming chamber 11 accompanying these operations, and prevent the formed resin film from being contaminated by the particles.

Here, the configuration of the exhaust groove 40 is not limited to the configurations described in the first and second embodiments. Different aspects of the exhaust groove according to the present invention will be described below.

<Third Embodiment>
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing a film forming apparatus 300 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in the figure, the film forming apparatus 300 includes an exhaust groove 80 having a configuration different from that of the exhaust groove 40 according to the first embodiment. 13A shows the first state of the exhaust groove 80, and FIG. 13B shows the second state of the exhaust groove 80. FIG.

The exhaust groove 80 has a first groove member 81 and a second groove member 82 and is arranged on the outer circumference of the stage 15 in the film forming chamber 11 . The first groove member 81 is arranged on the stage 15 side. The second groove member 82 is spaced apart from the first groove member 81 and arranged on the outer circumference of the first groove member 81 .

The first channel member 81 includes a first opening forming portion 811 in this embodiment.
The first opening forming portion 811 forms part of the opening P and extends along the periphery of the stage 15 . The first opening forming portion 811 includes an upper surface portion 811 a facing upward in the Z-axis direction and a slope portion 811 b obliquely facing the outside of the film forming chamber 11 .

The second channel member 82 includes a second aperture formation 821 in this embodiment.
The second opening forming portion 821 forms the opening P of the exhaust groove 80 together with the first opening forming portion 811 and extends along the periphery of the stage 15 . The second opening forming portion 821 includes an upper surface portion 821 a facing upward in the Z-axis direction and a slope portion 821 b obliquely facing the inside of the film forming chamber 11 .

The exhaust groove 80 is annularly arranged around the stage 15 in the same manner as the exhaust groove 40 in FIG. That is, the first opening forming portion 811 and the second opening forming portion 812 are also configured in a ring shape surrounding the outer periphery of the stage 15 . Moreover, although not shown, the exhaust groove 80 may further have a heating mechanism for heating the first groove member 81 and the second groove member 82 .

The second groove member 82 can be moved up and down in the Z-axis direction by the groove member lifting pin 52 of the drive mechanism 50, as in the first embodiment. Thereby, the exhaust groove 80 is switched between the first state and the second state. The second groove member 82 may be driven independently of the substrate lifting pins 711 by the second driving mechanism 72 of the driving mechanism 70 as in the second embodiment.

In the first state shown in FIG. 13A, the opening P of the exhaust groove 80 has a first opening width D31. The first opening width D31 is the distance between the first opening forming portion 811 and the second opening forming portion 821, and specifically, the upper surface portion 811a of the first opening forming portion 811 and the second opening forming portion 811a. is the distance between the ends of the upper surface portion 821a of the opening forming portion 821 of . In the first state, the gap between the sloped portion 811b of the first opening forming portion 811 and the sloped portion 821b of the second opening forming portion 821 forms the channel Q of the exhaust groove 80 .

In the second state shown in FIG. 13B, the second groove member 82 is separated from the first groove member 81 in the Z-axis direction. Thereby, the opening P of the exhaust groove 80 has a second opening width D32 that is larger than the first opening width D31. In this embodiment, the second opening width D32 extends along the Z-axis direction from the end of the upper surface portion 811a of the first opening forming portion 811 to the end of the upper surface portion 821a of the second opening forming portion 821. Distance.

As a result, in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the exhaust groove 80 can be switched to the first state in which the opening width is narrow before the film forming process in which the raw material gas is supplied. As a result, the gas flow in the film forming chamber 11 can be stabilized, and the film thickness distribution can be made uniform. Further, before the pressure adjusting process and the exhausting process in which the gas in the film forming chamber 11 is exhausted, the exhaust groove 80 can be switched to the second state in which the opening width is wide. This can increase the pumping speed and reduce the time required for these steps.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, by raising the second groove member 82 in the Z-axis direction from the first state, it is possible to continuously switch the opening width and the channel width in the second state. Become. As a result, the exhaust groove 80 can be set to the required exhaust performance for each step, and the film forming process can be further stabilized and made efficient.

<Fourth Embodiment>
FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing a film forming apparatus 400 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in the figure, the film forming apparatus 400 includes an exhaust groove 90 having a configuration different from that of the exhaust groove 40 according to the first embodiment. 14A shows the first state of the exhaust groove 90, and FIG. 14B shows the second state of the exhaust groove 90. FIG.

The exhaust groove 90 has a first groove member 91 and a second groove member 92 and is arranged on the outer periphery of the stage 15 in the film forming chamber 11 . The first groove member 91 is arranged on the stage 15 side. The second groove member 92 is spaced apart from the first groove member 91 and arranged on the outer circumference of the first groove member 81 .

The first channel member 91 includes a first opening formation portion 911 . The first opening forming portion 911 forms part of the opening P and extends along the periphery of the stage 15 .

The second groove member 92 includes a second opening forming portion 921 and a base portion 922 to which the second opening forming portion 921 is connected.
The second opening forming portion 921 forms the opening P of the exhaust groove 90 together with the first opening forming portion 911 and extends along the periphery of the stage 15 . In the second state, the second opening forming part 921 is configured to be spaced apart from the first opening forming part 911 more than in the first state. For example, it is configured to be slidable in the X-axis direction in FIG.

This also makes it possible to configure the opening width of the opening P to be variable between the first state and the second state. Therefore, in the film formation process, the exhaust groove 90 can be switched to the first state in which the opening width is narrow, and the film thickness distribution can be made uniform. Further, in the pressure regulation process and the exhaust process, the exhaust groove 90 can be switched to the second state in which the opening width is wide to improve the exhaust performance and the production efficiency.

15A and 15B are cross-sectional views of essential parts showing an exhaust groove 90 according to a modification of the present embodiment, FIG. 15A showing a first state of the exhaust groove 90, and FIG. Indicates status.

The second opening forming portion 921 of the second groove member 92 may be configured to be openable and closable so as to be separated from the first opening forming portion 911 in the second state more than in the first state. That is, the second groove member 92 includes a second opening forming portion 921 and a base portion 922 to which the second opening forming portion 921 is connected. The second opening forming portion 921 is connected to the base portion 922 so as to be rotatable around the rotation axis R. As shown in FIG.

That is, in the first state shown in FIG. 15A, the second opening forming portion 921 protrudes from the base portion 922 into the film forming chamber 11 . As a result, the end portion of the second opening forming portion 921 and the first opening forming portion 911 face each other in the X-axis direction, and the width of the opening can be narrowed.

In addition, in the second state shown in FIG. 15B, the second opening forming portion 921 rotates around the rotation axis R from the first state and extends along the side surface of the base portion 922 in the Z-axis direction. Thereby, the opening width of the opening P can be widened.

Although each embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

In the above-described embodiment, the mode in which the next step is performed after the switching of the state of the exhaust groove 40 is completed has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the switching of the exhaust groove 40 to the second state may be performed at the same time as the pressure regulation process or may be performed at the same time as the exhaust process. Alternatively, the film formation process may be started during switching to the first state.

Also, the “second opening width in the second state” can take any value larger than the “first opening width in the first state”. For example, the "second opening width in the second state" may be different for each process, or may be set in multiple stages within the pressure regulation process and the exhaust process.

For example, as shown in FIG. 16 , the exhaust groove 40 is not limited to the configuration surrounding the stage 15 in an annular shape, and the exhaust groove 40 may be arranged along a part of the stage 15 . In the example of FIG. 16, the exhaust grooves 40 are arranged to face each other in the X-axis direction with the stage 15 interposed therebetween. Even with such a configuration, by switching between the first state and the second state of the exhaust groove 40, it is possible to achieve both improvement in film thickness uniformity and improvement in production efficiency.

Alternatively, the configuration of the gas supply unit 30 is not limited to the example having the gas supply pipe 31 . For example, as shown in FIG. 17, the gas supply section 30 may have a shower plate 32 including gas ejection holes 321 through which gas can be ejected. By forming the shower plate 32 with, for example, an ultraviolet UV transparent material, it is possible to supply the raw material gas onto the substrate W in the film forming process and to irradiate the substrate W with the ultraviolet UV in the UV irradiation process. becomes possible. Accordingly, it is possible to provide the film forming apparatus 100 that provides the same effects as those of the above-described embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Chamber 11... Film-forming chamber 15... Stage 19... Exhaust system 20... Light source unit 22... Irradiation source 30... Gas supply part 40, 80, 90... Exhaust groove 41, 81, 91... First groove member 42, 82 , 92... Second groove member 50, 70... Drive mechanism 60... Control part 411.811.911... First opening forming part 421.821.921... Second opening forming part P... Opening

Claims (8)

a chamber having a deposition chamber;
a stage arranged in the film forming chamber;
a light source unit having an irradiation source that irradiates energy rays and arranged to face the stage in a uniaxial direction;
a gas supply unit that supplies a raw material gas containing an energy ray curable resin that is cured by being irradiated with the energy ray toward the stage;
Arranged on the periphery of the stage in the deposition chamber and variable between a first state with a first opening width and a second state with a second opening width wider than the first opening width. an exhaust groove configured to
an exhaust system connected to the deposition chamber for exhausting the source gas that has passed through the exhaust groove;
a driving mechanism for switching between the first state and the second state of the exhaust groove ,
The exhaust groove has a heating mechanism that heats the flow path of the raw material gas.
Deposition equipment. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The exhaust groove is
a first channel member including a first opening formation extending along the periphery of the stage;
a second groove member including a second opening forming portion extending along the periphery of the stage and forming an opening of the exhaust groove together with the first opening forming portion; and
The second opening forming portion is configured to be further separated from the first opening forming portion in the second state than in the first state,
The drive mechanism switches the second groove member between the first state and the second state. The film forming apparatus according to claim 2,
The film forming apparatus, wherein the first opening forming part and the second opening forming part are configured in an annular shape surrounding an outer periphery of the stage. The film forming apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
The second groove member faces the first groove member in the first state and is separated from the first groove member along the uniaxial direction in the second state,
The drive mechanism raises and lowers the second groove member along the uniaxial direction. The film forming apparatus according to claim 4,
the first groove member further includes a convex portion that bends from the first opening forming portion and protrudes outward from the film forming chamber;
The film forming apparatus, wherein the second groove member further includes a concave portion that is bent from the second opening forming portion and recesses outward from the film forming chamber. The film forming apparatus according to claim 4 or 5,
The drive mechanism is
a substrate elevating pin extending in the uniaxial direction and capable of supporting a substrate placed on the stage by means of a tip portion thereof;
a groove member elevating pin extending in the uniaxial direction and capable of supporting the second groove member by a tip portion thereof;
and a driving unit that lifts and lowers the substrate lifting pins and the groove member lifting pins in the uniaxial direction. The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
controlling the drive mechanism to set the exhaust groove to the first state;
After setting the exhaust groove to the first state, controlling the gas supply unit to supply the raw material gas toward the stage ;
after supplying the raw material gas, controlling the drive mechanism to switch the exhaust groove to the second state;
A film forming apparatus further comprising: a controller configured to control the exhaust system so as to exhaust the source gas in the film forming chamber after switching the exhaust groove to the second state. Placing the substrate on a stage placed in the deposition chamber of the chamber,
setting an opening of an exhaust groove arranged on the outer periphery of the stage in the film forming chamber to a first opening width;
After setting the opening to the first opening width, supplying a raw material gas containing an energy ray curable resin that is cured by being irradiated with an energy ray toward the substrate,
After supplying the raw material gas, switching the opening of the exhaust groove to a second opening width wider than the first opening width;
after switching the opening to the second opening width, exhausting the raw material gas in the film forming chamber;
A film forming method comprising irradiating the substrate with the energy beam after exhausting the source gas.

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