Film formation apparatus and film formation method and cleaning method

• US 20030124764A1
• Filed: 12/12/2002
• Published: 07/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Shunpei, Murakami, Masakazu
• Granted Patent: US 6,776,847 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/99
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/60 Deposition of organic layers from vapour phase vapour phase deposition in general C23C14/00, C23C16/00
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/042 using masks
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/12 Organic material
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/56 Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating; Arrangements for maintaining the vacuum, e.g. vacuum locks
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/564 Means for minimising impurities in the coating chamber such as dust, moisture, residual gases
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/568 Transferring the substrates through a series of coating stations C23C14/562 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/5806 Thermal treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45514 Mixing in close vicinity to the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C23F 4/00 Processes for removing metallic material from surfaces, not provided for in group C23F1/00 or C23F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/865 Intermediate layers comprising a mixture of materials of the adjoining active layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/164 using vacuum deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/166 using selective deposition, e.g. using a mask
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/40 Thermal treatment, e.g. annealing in the presence of a solvent vapour
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 438/905 Cleaning of reaction chamber

Abstract

The purpose of the invention is to provide a film formation apparatus capable of forming an EL layer with a high purity and a high density, and a cleaning method. The invention is a formation of an EL layer with a high density by heating a substrate 10 by a heating means for heating a substrate, decreasing the pressure of a film formation chamber with a pressure decreasing means (a vacuum pump such as a turbo-molecular pump, a dry pump, or a cryopump) connected to the film formation chamber to 5×10⁻³ Torr (0.665 Pa) or lower, preferably 1×10⁻³ Torr (0.133 Pa) or lower, and carrying out film formation by depositing organic compound materials from deposition sources. In the film formation chamber, cleaning of deposition masks is carried out by plasma.

Claims

1. A film formation apparatus for forming a film over a substrate by depositing an organic compound material from a deposition source provided opposite to the substrate, said film formation apparatus comprising:

a film formation chamber to provide said substrate therein;

a deposition source provided in said film formation chamber;

a means provided in said film formation chamber for heating the deposition source;

a heating means provided in said film formation chamber for heating a mask; and

a vacuum gas discharge treatment chamber for vacuum evacuating the film formation chamber,

wherein the film formation chamber is connected with the vacuum gas discharge treatment chamber.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said film formation chamber is kept in vacuum degree of 1×

10<sup>−

3</sup> Torr or lower pressure.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of deposition sources are provided and contain organic compounds respectively having different functions and at least two types of the organic compounds are simultaneously deposited.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the temperature T₁ of said substrate is controlled to be lower than the temperature T₃ of said deposition source.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the temperature T₁ of said substrate is controlled to be in a range from 50°

C. to 200°

C.

6. A film formation apparatus for forming a film over a substrate by depositing an organic compound material from a deposition source provided opposite to the substrate, said film formation apparatus comprising;

a film formation chamber to provide said substrate therein, an adhesion prevention means provided in said film formation chamber for preventing film formation in the inner wall;

a heating means provided in said film formation chamber for heating the adhesion prevention means;

the deposition source provided in said film formation chamber,

a means provided in said film formation chamber for heating the deposition source; and

a heating means provided in said film formation chamber for heating a mask; and

a vacuum gas discharge treatment chamber for vacuum evacuating the film formation chamber,

wherein the film formation chamber is connected with said vacuum gas discharge treatment chamber.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said film formation chamber is kept in vacuum degree of 1×

10<sup>−

3</sup> Torr or lower pressure.

8. An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein a plurality of deposition sources are provided and contain organic compounds respectively having different functions and at least two types of the organic compounds are simultaneously deposited.

9. An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the temperature T₁ of said substrate is controlled to be lower than the temperature T₃ of said deposition source.

10. An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the temperature T₁ of said substrate is controlled to be in a range from 50°

C. to 200°

C.

11. An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the temperature T₁ of said substrate is controlled to be lower than the temperature T₂ of said adhesion prevention means by at least 10°

C. and the temperature T₂ of said adhesion prevention means is controlled to be lower than the temperature T₃ of said deposition source.

25. An apparatus according to claim 10;

wherein said mask is made of a conductive material and either one of said mask and said electrode is connected with a high frequency power source.

12. A film formation apparatus comprising:

a load chamber,

a transportation chamber, and

a film formation chamber joined to each other in series,

wherein said film formation chamber has a function of conforming the positioning of a mask and a substrate and said film formation chamber is connected with a vacuum gas discharge treatment chamber for vacuum evacuating the film formation chamber and comprises an adhesion prevention means for preventing film formation in the inner wall, a heating means for heating the adhesion prevention means, the deposition source, a means for heating the deposition source, and a heating means for heating a mask.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said film formation chamber is kept in vacuum degree of 1×

10<sup>−

3</sup> Torr or lower pressure.

14. An apparatus according to claim 12 wherein a plurality of deposition sources are provided and contain organic compounds respectively having different functions and at least two types of the organic compounds are simultaneously deposited.

15. An apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the temperature T₁ of said substrate is controlled to be lower than the temperature T₃ of said deposition source.

16. An apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the temperature T₁ of said substrate is controlled to be in a range from 50°

C. to 200°

C.

17. An apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the temperature T₁ of said substrate is controlled to be lower than the temperature T₂ of said adhesion prevention means by at least 10°

C. and the temperature T₂ of said adhesion prevention means is controlled to be lower than the temperature T₃ of said deposition source.

18. A film formation apparatus comprising:

a load chamber;

a transportation chamber connected with said load chamber; and

a film formation chamber connected with said transportation chamber,

wherein said transportation chamber has a function of conforming the positioning of a mask and a substrate and said film formation chamber is connected with a vacuum gas discharge treatment chamber for vacuum evacuating the film formation chamber and said film formation chamber comprises an adhesion prevention means for preventing film formation in the inner wall, a heating means for heating the adhesion prevention means, the deposition source, a means for heating the deposition source, and a heating means for heating a mask.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said film formation chamber is kept in vacuum degree of 1×

10<sup>−

3</sup> Torr or lower pressure.

20. An apparatus according to claim 18 wherein a plurality of deposition sources are provided and contain organic compounds respectively having different functions and at least two types of the organic compounds are simultaneously deposited.

21. An apparatus according to claim 18 wherein the temperature T₁ of said substrate is controlled to be lower than the temperature T₃ of said deposition source.

22. An apparatus according to claim 18 wherein the temperature T₁ of said substrate is controlled to be in a range from 50°

C. to 200°

C.

23. An apparatus according to claim 18 wherein the temperature T₁ of said substrate is controlled to be lower than the temperature T₂ of said adhesion prevention means by at least 10°

C. and the temperature T₂ of said adhesion prevention means is controlled to be lower than the temperature T₃ of said deposition source.

24. A film formation apparatus for forming a film over a substrate by depositing an organic compound material from a deposition source provided opposite to the substrate, said film formation apparatus comprising:

a film formation chamber to provide said substrate therein,

a deposition source provided in said film formation chamber;

a means provided in said film formation chamber for heating the deposition source;

a heating means provided in said film formation chamber for heating a substrate;

a mask provided in said film formation chamber, and

an electrode provided in said film formation chamber and opposite to the mask; and

a vacuum gas discharge treatment chamber for vacuum evacuating the film formation chamber,

wherein the film formation chamber is connected with the vacuum gas discharge treatment chamber and plasma is generated in the film formation chamber.

26. A film formation apparatus for forming a film over a substrate by depositing an organic compound material from a deposition source provided opposite to the substrate, said film formation apparatus comprising:

a film formation chamber to provide said substrate therein;

a deposition source provided in said film formation chamber;

a means provided in said film formation chamber for heating the deposition source;

a heating means provided in said film formation chamber for heating a substrate; and

a vacuum gas discharge treatment chamber for vacuum evacuating the film formation chamber,

wherein the film formation chamber is connected with the vacuum gas discharge treatment chamber and also with a cleaning preparatory chamber for radiating laser beam to the inner wall of said treatment chamber.

27. An apparatus according to claim 26;

wherein said laser beam is scanned by using a galvano-mirror.

28. A film formation method for depositing an organic compound over a substrate provided in a film formation chamber;

wherein said film formation chamber is kept in a high vacuum degree of 1×

10<sup>−

3</sup> Torr or lower pressure, and in the case of forming a film by depositing an organic compound material over the substrate from a deposition source provided opposite to the substrate, said substrate is simultaneously heated to decrease a gas in the film.

29. A method according to claim 28 wherein the temperature T₁ of said substrate is controlled to be in a range from 50°

C. to 200°

C.

30. A film formation method for depositing an organic compound over a substrate provided in a film formation chamber;

wherein said film formation chamber is kept in a high vacuum degree of 1×

10<sup>−

3</sup> Torr or lower pressure, and after formation of a film by depositing an organic compound material over the substrate from a deposition source provided opposite to the substrate, the vacuum degree is increased further than that during the film formation while said substrate is kept from atmospheric air, and said substrate is heated to decrease a gas in the film.

31. A method according to claim 30 wherein the treatment for decreasing the gas in the film by keeping the vacuum degree higher than that during the film formation and heating said substrate is carried out in the same film formation chamber as the chamber for the film formation.

32. A method according to claim 30;

wherein the treatment for decreasing the gas in the film by keeping the vacuum degree higher than that during the film formation and heating said substrate is carried out in a treatment chamber different from the chamber for the film formation.

33. A method according to claim 30;

wherein during the film formation, said substrate is simultaneously heated to decrease the gas in the film.

34. A film formation method for depositing an organic compound over a substrate provided in a film formation chamber;

wherein after formation of a first organic compound layer over the substrate, said film formation chamber is kept in a high vacuum degree of 1×

10<sup>−

3</sup> Torr or lower pressure, and before film formation of a second organic compound layer over said first organic compound layer by depositing an organic compound material over the substrate from a deposition source provided opposite to the substrate, the substrate is heated to decrease the gas in the first organic compound layer.

35. A cleaning method for removing an organic compound adhering to a film formation chamber provided with a deposition source, said method comprising:

cleaning a mask or an inner wall or an adhesion prevention means for preventing film formation on the inner wall by generating plasma in the film formation chamber.

36. A method according to claim 35;

wherein said plasma is generated between said mask and an electrodes provided between said mask and said deposition source.

37. A method according to claim 35 wherein said plasma is generated by exciting one or a plurality of kinds of gases selected from Ar, H, F, NF₃, and O.