Film formation apparatus and film formation method and cleaning method

• US 7,763,320 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2007
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Shunpei, Murakami, Masakazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Barr; Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHIRO, RYAN RAYMOND
• Application Number:
  US11/858,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20080081115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 427/294, 427/331, 438/905, 134/1.1
• US Class Current: 427/294
• 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 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 5×

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 with a movable electrode provided in a position where the deposition of the organic compound material over the substrate is not disturbed, said substrate is simultaneously heated to decrease a gas in the film,

wherein temperature of said substrate is controlled to be in a range from 50°

C. to 200°

C.,

wherein an inner wall face of said film formation chamber comprises a material specularly polished by electrolytic polishing and selected from the group consisting of aluminum and stainless steel,

wherein said substrate is removed from said film formation chamber after the deposition of the organic compound material,

wherein the movable electrode is moved to a position opposed to a mask provided in said film formation chamber,

wherein plasma is generated between the mask and the movable electrode opposed to each other in said film formation chamber by applying a high frequency electric field to a gas between the mask and the movable electrode from a high frequency power source connected to at least one of the mask and the movable electrode, and

wherein the mask or an inner wall or an adhesion prevention means for preventing film formation on the inner wall is cleaned by the plasma in said film formation chamber.

2. 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 5×

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 with a movable electrode provided in a position where the deposition of the organic compound material over the substrate is not disturbed, 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,

wherein an inner wall face of said film formation chamber comprises a material specularly polished by electrolytic polishing and selected from the group consisting of aluminum and stainless steel,

wherein said substrate is removed from said film formation chamber after the deposition of the organic compound material,

wherein the movable electrode is moved to a position opposed to a mask provided in said film formation chamber,

wherein plasma is generated between the mask and the movable electrode opposed to each other in said film formation chamber by applying a high frequency electric field to a gas between the mask and the movable electrode from a high frequency power source connected to at least one of the mask and the movable electrode, and

wherein the mask or an inner wall or an adhesion prevention means for preventing film formation on the inner wall is cleaned by the plasma in said film formation chamber.

3. A method according to claim 2 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.

4. A method according to claim 2 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.

5. A method according to claim 2 wherein during the film formation, said substrate is simultaneously heated to decrease the gas in the film.

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

depositing the organic compound over a substrate in the film formation chamber by evaporating the organic compound from a deposition source with a movable electrode provided in a position where the deposition of the organic compound over the substrate is not disturbed;

removing the substrate from the film formation chamber after the deposition of the organic compound;

moving the movable electrode to a position opposed to a mask provided in the film formation chamber;

generating plasma between the mask and the movable electrode opposed to each other in the film formation chamber by applying a high frequency electric field to a gas between the mask and the movable electrode from a high frequency power source connected to at least one of the mask and the movable electrode; and

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

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein said plasma is generated between said mask and an electrodes provided between said mask and said deposition source.

8. A method according to claim 6 wherein said plasma is generated by exciting one or a plurality of kinds of gases selected from Ar, H, F, NF₃, and O.