KR20190038754A - Material deposition arrangement, vacuum deposition system, and methods therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

Material deposition arrangements for depositing material on a substrate in a vacuum deposition chamber are described. The material deposition arrangement may include a first deposition source having one or more first openings; A second deposition source having one or more second openings; And a shutter arrangement having one or more first apertures, one or more second apertures, and at least a first shutter configured to be movable by a certain angle to the first park position.

Description

Material deposition arrangement, vacuum deposition system, and methods therefor

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to deposition apparatuses for depositing one or more layers on a substrate, in particular layers comprising organic materials. In particular, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to material deposition arrangements for depositing evaporated material on a substrate in a vacuum deposition chamber, particularly for OLED manufacturing, vacuum deposition systems, and methods therefor Lt; / RTI > Additionally, embodiments relate to conditioning of material deposition arrangements.

[0002] Organic evaporators are tools for the production of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). OLEDs are special types of light emitting diodes in which the light emitting layer comprises a thin film of certain organic compounds. Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) are used in the manufacture of television screens, computer monitors, mobile phones, other hand-held devices, etc. for displaying information. OLEDs can also be used for general spatial illumination. Possible color ranges, brightness, and viewing angles in OLED displays are larger than the color range, brightness, and viewing angles of conventional LCD displays because OLED pixels emit light directly and do not require a backlight. Thus, the energy consumption of OLED displays is significantly less than the energy consumption of conventional LCD displays. In addition, the fact that OLEDs can be fabricated on flexible substrates creates additional applications.

[0003] OLED materials are often co-evaporated. Two or more materials, such as three materials, are evaporated to form one layer of the layer structure of the device. A source assembly having two or more evaporation sources may be used for co-evaporation. Simultaneous evaporation is difficult to control the evaporation rates of two or more evaporation sources for depositing one layer. The evaporation rate of the first evaporation source and the evaporation rate of the second evaporation source need to be adapted to each other. In addition, for example, in the case of line sources, i. E. Sources that produce lines of evaporation material, and source sources that generate two-dimensional regions of area sources, i. E. Evaporation material, The individual uniformity of the sources is important.

[0004] In view of the foregoing, a method is provided for conditioning a material deposition arrangement, a vacuum deposition system, and a material deposition arrangement.

[0005] According to one example, a material deposition arrangement for depositing material on a substrate in a vacuum deposition chamber is provided. The material deposition arrangement may include a first deposition source having one or more first openings; A second deposition source having one or more second openings; And a shutter arrangement having at least a first shutter configured to be movable by an angle to one or more first apertures, one or more second apertures, and a first park position, .

[0006] According to one example, a material deposition arrangement for depositing material on a substrate in a vacuum deposition chamber is provided. The material deposition arrangement may include a first deposition source having one or more first openings; A second deposition source having one or more second openings; And a shutter arrangement having at least a first shutter configured to be movable by a certain angle or configured to be able to rotate by a certain angle to selectively cover one or more of the first apertures, or one or more of the second apertures do. Additionally, a first park position may be provided.

[0007] According to one example, a material deposition arrangement for depositing material on a substrate in a vacuum deposition chamber is provided. The material deposition arrangement may include a first deposition source having one or more first openings; A second deposition source having one or more second openings; A first shutter; And an actuator for moving the first shutter by a certain angle forward of one or more of the first openings and forward of one or more of the second openings.

[0008] According to one example, a vacuum deposition system is provided. The system includes a vacuum deposition chamber; And material deposition arrangement. Material deposition arrangements may be provided according to any of the embodiments described herein. For example, the material deposition arrangement may comprise a first deposition source having one or more first openings; A second deposition source having one or more second openings; A first shutter; And an actuator for moving the first shutter by a certain angle forward of one or more of the first openings and forward of one or more of the second openings.

[0009] According to one example, a method is provided for conditioning a material deposition arrangement having at least a first deposition source and a second deposition source. The method comprising: blocking materials at a first deposition source using a shutter; Conditioning a second deposition source; Moving the shutter by a predetermined angle to a second deposition source; Blocking material at a second deposition source; Conditioning a second deposition source; Moving the shutter by a predetermined angle; And depositing a material layer on the substrate by co-evaporation of a first deposition source and a second deposition source.

[0010] In the manner in which the above-recited features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the present disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings relate to embodiments of the present disclosure and are described below.
Figure 1 shows a schematic side cross-sectional view of a material deposition arrangement, e.g., an evaporation source, that may be utilized in the embodiments described herein.
2A shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a material deposition arrangement, e.g., a source assembly, that may be utilized in the embodiments described herein.
Figure 2B shows a schematic partial view of a material deposition arrangement with a shutter, according to embodiments described herein.
Figures 3A-3C illustrate schematic diagrams of material deposition arrangements, illustrated in which the shutters are at different positions, in accordance with the embodiments described herein.
Figure 4 shows a schematic partial perspective view of a material deposition arrangement with two shutters, in accordance with the embodiments described herein.
Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of another material deposition arrangement in accordance with the embodiments described herein.
6 shows a schematic view of a material deposition arrangement according to embodiments described herein.
Figure 7 shows a schematic side view of a material deposition arrangement having a deposition source and a support facing a side shield, in accordance with embodiments described herein.
Figure 8 shows a schematic view of a vacuum deposition system in accordance with embodiments described herein.
9 illustrates a flow diagram illustrating each method for operating a material deposition arrangement or method for conditioning a material deposition arrangement, according to embodiments described herein.

[0011] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments, and one or more examples of various embodiments thereof are illustrated in the figures. Each example is provided as an illustration, and is not intended as a limitation. For example, features illustrated or described as part of an embodiment may be used with any other embodiment or for any other embodiment to yield further embodiments. It is intended that the disclosure cover such modifications and variations.

[0012] In the following description of the drawings, the same reference numbers refer to the same or similar components. In general, only differences for the individual embodiments are described. Unless otherwise specified, the description of parts or aspects in one embodiment may be applied to corresponding parts or aspects in other embodiments as well.

[0013] Figure 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a material deposition arrangement 100 that may be utilized for the embodiments described herein. In particular, the material deposition arrangement is configured to deposit material on a substrate in a vacuum deposition chamber. As illustrated illustratively in FIG. 1, the material deposition arrangement includes at least one material deposition source 105 having a crucible 110 configured to evaporate material. Additionally, the material deposition arrangement includes a distribution assembly 120, such as a distribution pipe. The dispensing assembly is configured to provide an evaporation material to the substrate. 1, the dispensing assembly 120 of at least one deposition source may include a dispensing pipe having one or more outlets or openings along the length of the dispensing pipe, Are provided. Typically, the dispensing assembly 120 is connected to the crucible 110.

[0014] In particular, an opening 113 may be provided at the lower end of the dispensing assembly 120. For example, the opening 113 provided at the lower end of the distribution assembly 120 may be arranged and configured to enable fluid communication with the crucible 110, for example, through an opening provided in the top wall of the crucible.

[0015] The crucible 110 is in fluid communication with the dispensing assembly. The evaporation material is guided toward the substrate in the dispense assembly. For example, the dispensing assembly 120 directs the evaporation material onto the substrate (not shown in FIG. 1) through the openings 126. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the material deposition arrangement may comprise a line source. The openings 126 may be arranged in a row. A dispense assembly 120 creates a line-shaped vapor plume. The line source can be moved, for example, perpendicular to the direction of the line. Moving the line source enables the deposition of evaporation material onto a rectangular substrate.

[0016] According to further embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, a shutter or shutter assembly in accordance with the embodiments described herein may also be provided for point sources.

[0017] Figure 2a shows a more detailed schematic plan cross-sectional view of a material deposition arrangement in accordance with further embodiments described herein. In particular, FIG. 2A shows a planar cross-sectional view of a material deposition arrangement including a first deposition source 105A, a second deposition source 105B, and a third deposition source 105C. Three distribution assemblies, e.g., distribution pipes, and corresponding evaporation crucibles may be provided in parallel with each other. Thus, the material deposition arrangement can be provided, for example, as an evaporation source array in which more than one kind of material can be evaporated at the same time. Simultaneous evaporation can be used to deposit the material layers, e.g. during OLED display manufacturing. The material deposition arrangement may comprise two or more deposition sources 105.

[0018] Material deposition arrangements, i.e. deposition sources, are conditioned to provide process conditions for material deposition. It is advantageous to condition the deposition sources of the material deposition arrangement independently of each other. For example, the uniformity of material evaporation of the deposition source is considered independently for each of the deposition sources of the material deposition arrangement. The uniformity of the deposition source can be considered, for example, as uniformity along the lines of the openings 126. The uniformity can be evaluated and / or adjusted along the line of the line source.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2A, the deposition sources may include a distribution assembly as described herein and a crucible as described herein. For example, the first distribution assembly 120A, the second distribution assembly 120b, and the third distribution assembly 120C may be configured as a distribution pipe as described herein.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2B, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, one or more of the shutters 210 may be moved by a certain angle 212. Moving the shutter by a certain angle, e.g., rotating the shutter about the axis 211, may enable positioning the shutter in front of one or more of the apertures 126 of the first dispensing assembly do. Alternatively, the shutters may be positioned in front of one or more of the apertures 126 of the second dispensing assembly, or in front of one or more of the apertures of the third dispensing assembly. Still further, the shutter can be positioned at the park position. In the park position, the apertures of the material deposition arrangement are not covered by the shutter. The shutters do not block any of the dispensing assemblies of the material deposition arrangement from guiding the material towards the substrate.

[0021] Positioning the shutters in front of one or more openings of one dispensing assembly, i. E. One deposition source, allows for individual conditioning of the deposition sources. In addition, the park position enables material deposition of the material deposition arrangement onto the substrate by co-evaporation of two or more deposition sources.

[0022] In this disclosure, " material deposition source " can be understood as being a device or assembly configured to provide a source of material to be deposited on a substrate. In particular, a " material deposition source " can be understood to be a device or assembly having a crucible configured to evaporate the material to be deposited and a dispensing assembly configured to provide the substrate with an evaporation material. The expression " a dispensing assembly configured to provide a substrate with an evaporation material " means that the dispensing assembly is configured to guide the gaseous source material in the deposition direction, which is illustratively indicated by arrows through the outlets or openings 126 in FIG. . Thus, a gaseous source material, such as a material for depositing a thin film of an OLED device, is guided within the dispensing assembly and exits the dispensing assembly through one or more outlets or apertures 126. For example, one or more outlets of a dispensing assembly, e.g., a dispensing pipe, may be nozzles extending along the direction of evaporation. Typically, the evaporation direction is essentially horizontal, e.g., the horizontal direction may correspond to the x-direction shown in Fig. In accordance with typical embodiments, it may be advantageous to have some deviation from the horizontal direction, e.g., 15 degrees or less, such as 7 degrees or less, so that the substrate orientation may have some deviation from being vertical.

[0023] In this disclosure, " crucible " can be understood as a device having a reservoir for the material to be vaporized by heating the crucible. Thus, a " crucible " can be understood as a source material reservoir that can be heated to vaporize the source material by at least one of evaporation and sublimation of the source material. Typically, the crucible comprises a heater for vaporizing the source material in the crucible with a gaseous source material. For example, initially, the material to be vaporized may be in the form of a powder. The reservoir may have an inner volume for receiving a source material to be evaporated, e.g., an organic material.

[0024] In this disclosure, " dispensing assembly " can be understood as an assembly configured to provide a plume of evaporation material, in particular evaporation material, from a dispensing assembly to a substrate. For example, the dispensing assembly may include a dispensing pipe that may have a elongated shape. For example, a distribution pipe as described herein may provide a line source having a plurality of openings and / or nozzles arranged in at least one line along the length of the distribution pipe. Thus, the dispensing assembly may be, for example, a linear dispense showerhead having a plurality of openings (or elongated slits) disposed therein. The showerhead as understood herein may have an enclosure, a hollow space, or a pipe, for example, from which evaporation material may be provided or guided from the evaporation crucible to the substrate. The showerhead can provide a higher pressure in the interior of the hollow space, such as 10 times higher or even higher, as compared to the exterior of the space.

[0025] According to embodiments that may be combined with any of the other embodiments described herein, the length of the distribution pipe may correspond at least to the height of the substrate to be deposited. In particular, the length of the distribution pipe may be at least 10% or even 20% longer than the height of the substrate to be deposited. For example, the length of the distribution pipe may be 1.3 m or more, such as 2.5 m or more. Thus, a uniform deposition can be provided at the upper end of the substrate and / or the lower end of the substrate. According to an alternative arrangement, the dispensing assembly may include one or more point sources that may be arranged along a vertical axis.

[0026] 2A, according to embodiments that may be combined with any of the other embodiments described herein, the dispensing assembly of at least one deposition source may have a non-circular cross-section perpendicular to the length of the dispensing pipe May be configured as a distribution pipe. For example, the cross-section perpendicular to the length of the distribution pipe may be triangular with rounded corners and / or cut-off corners as triangles. For example, Figure 2a shows three distribution pipes having a substantially triangular cross-section perpendicular to the length of the distribution pipes. According to embodiments that may be combined with any other embodiment described herein, each dispensing assembly is in fluid communication with a respective evaporating crucible.

[0027] A description of the features of at least one deposition source 105 as described with reference to, for example, Figures 1, 2A, and 2B may also be applied to material deposition with two or more deposition sources 105 It should be understood that the invention is also applicable to other deposition sources of the array 100. [

[0028] According to some embodiments, which may be combined with any other embodiment described herein, and as exemplarily shown in FIG. 2A, an evaporator control housing 180 is provided adjacent to at least one material deposition source . In particular, the evaporator control housing may be configured to maintain atmospheric pressure in the evaporator control housing and may include at least one selected from the group consisting of a switch, a valve, a controller, a cooling unit, a cooling control unit, a heating control unit, a power supply, Of the element.

[0029] According to embodiments which may be combined with any other embodiment described herein, a dispensing assembly, in particular a dispensing pipe, may be heated by heating elements provided within the dispensing assembly. The heating elements may be electric heaters that may be provided by heating wires clamped or otherwise fixed in the inner tubes, such as coated heating wires. Referring to FIG. 2A as an example, a cooling shield 138 may be provided. The cooling shield 138 may include sidewalls arranged to provide a U-shaped cooling shield to reduce thermal radiation to the deposition area, i.e., the substrate and / or the mask. For example, the cooling shield may be provided as metal plates with or provided with conduits for cooling fluid, such as water. Additionally or alternatively, thermoelectric cooling devices or other cooling devices may be provided to cool the cooling shields. Typically, the outer shields, i.e., the outermost shields, surrounding the inner hollow space of the distribution pipe can be cooled.

[0030] In Figure 2a, for illustrative purposes, the evaporation source material exiting the outlets of the distribution assemblies is indicated by arrows. Due to the intrinsically triangular shape of the dispensing assemblies, the evaporation cones resulting from the three dispensing assemblies are very close to each other, and thus the mixing of the source material from different dispensing assemblies can be improved. In particular, the cross-sectional shape of the distribution pipes makes it possible to place the outlets or nozzles of neighboring distribution pipes close to one another. According to some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the first outlet of the first distribution assemblies or the second outlet or nozzle of the nozzle and second distribution assemblies may be 70 mm or less, such as 50 mm or less, or 35 mm or less.

[0031] A shielding device, particularly a shaper shielding device 137, may be provided, e.g., attached to, or provided as part of, the cooling shielding portion 138, as shown further in FIG. 2A. By providing shaper shields, the direction of the vapor exiting the distribution pipe or pipes through the outlets can be controlled, i.e. the angle of vapor emission can be reduced. According to some embodiments, at least a portion of the evaporation material provided through the outlets or nozzles is blocked by the shaper shield. Thus, the width of the emission angle can be controlled.

[0032] A shutter or shutter assembly may be provided to the shaper shielding device 137 and / or may be coupled to the shaper shielding device 137, as shown in more detail with respect to Figs. 3A-7.

[0033] Figure 3A shows a portion of a material deposition arrangement 100. The apertures 126 of the deposition sources and the shaper shielding device 137 are shown. 3A shows side portions 317 of the shaper shielding device 137. As shown in FIG. Two shutters 210 are provided. The shutters 210 are movable by a certain angle and are rotatable about, for example, FIG. 3A shows a left opening 126, an intermediate opening 126, and a right opening 126. FIG. The openings correspond to respective evaporation sources. According to some embodiments, the evaporation sources may be point sources having respective openings 126. According to other embodiments, the evaporation sources may be line sources, and each opening 126 is one of a plurality of openings extending along a line perpendicular to the paper plane of Figs. 3A-3C.

[0034] Although the embodiments described herein may be used for point sources of material deposition arrangements that co-evaporate two or more materials in accordance with the present disclosure, the shutter arrangement according to the embodiments described herein, May be advantageously utilized for line sources. For example, the shutter arrangement may be used for line sources oriented vertically or essentially vertically. For example, a shutter arrangement having one or more shutters shifted by an angle about an axis may effectively block one or more lines of openings 126. [ In addition, as will be described in more detail with respect to Figures 4, 5, and 6, shutter arrangement may be provided in the park position.

[0035] 3A shows the positioning of the first shutter and the second shutter, wherein the middle opening 126 and the right opening 126 are blocked by the shutter. The left opening 126 or each line of openings is not blocked. The evaporation material can be guided onto the substrate from the dispensing assembly corresponding to the left opening 126, i.e., the left opening 126 or the left opening 126. [ The left evaporation source corresponding to the left dispensing assembly, or one or more left openings, respectively, can be conditioned while the central evaporation source and the right evaporation source do not contribute to layer deposition on the substrate.

[0036] FIG. 3B shows the positioning of the first shutter and the second shutter, wherein the intermediate opening 126 is not blocked. The evaporation source between the left evaporation source and the right evaporation source can be conditioned while the left evaporation source and the right evaporation source do not contribute to the layer deposition on the substrate. 3C shows the positioning of the first and second shutters, wherein the right opening 126 is not blocked. The right evaporation source can be conditioned. For example, after conditioning the evaporation sources (by any order) followed by shutter positioning according to FIGS. 3A-3C, the first shutter and the second shutter can be moved to the park position and the left deposition source, Deposition of a layer, such as an organic layer, by co-evaporation of the source and a deposition source between the left deposition source and the right deposition source may be provided.

[0037] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the shaper shielding device 137, wherein portions of the shaper shielding device 137 are cut to represent the shutters 210 of the shutter arrangement according to the embodiments described herein. 4 shows a side portion 317 of the shaper shielding device 137 and a top portion 417 of the shaper shielding device, for example. The shutters 210 extend along the line of the line source provided by the openings 126 shown in FIG. The shutter 210 can be moved to cover the openings 126 (four openings shown) extending along the line of the line source.

[0038] According to some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the shaper shielding device may include side portions 317, a top portion 417, and a bottom portion. The shaper shielding device forms a shaper box. The shaper shielding device may include a frame extending from the rows of openings or openings 126 in the direction of the substrate. The frame may surround the openings or the rows of openings. The rows of openings 126 or openings 126 may be used for simultaneous evaporation of two or more deposition sources.

[0039] For example, a shutter arrangement including one or more shutters 210 may be mounted on a shaper shielding device, i.e., a shaper box. It is advantageous to mount the shutter arrangement on the shaper shielding device because both components are regularly maintained, e.g. cleaned. Thus, mounting the shutter arrangement on the shaper shielding device makes it possible to disassemble the shutter arrangement with the shaper shielding device. In addition, as will be described in more detail with respect to FIG. 7, in order to remove the shutter assemblies, such as the first shutter and the second shutter, in a short period of time, the shutter arrangement can be mounted on the deposition source arrangement for easy disassembly. This allows maintenance to be performed quickly.

[0040] Figure 5 illustrates a portion of a material deposition arrangement according to further embodiments. FIG. 5 illustrates a shaper shielding device 137 having side portions 317. FIG. In addition, the edge of the top portion 417 is shown in Fig. Although the edge of the top portion 417 may not be a complete straight line, the shaper box may be considered to be essentially rectangular in cross-section and / or considered to be essentially cubic.

[0041] Figure 5 illustrates a portion of a material deposition arrangement wherein one or more of the first deposition sources 526 provide one or more openings 126 and one of the second deposition sources Or more of the nozzles 526 may provide one or more openings 126 and one or more nozzles 526 of the third deposition source may provide one or more openings 126, . According to the embodiments described herein, two or more deposition sources are provided in a material deposition arrangement, where two or more deposition sources may be used to form one layer on a substrate, To co-evaporate.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 5, the shaper shielding device 137 may be connected to the cooling shield 138. Thus, the shaper shielding device 137 can be passively cooled by the cooling shield 138. [ The cooling shield 138 may have active cooling.

[0043] According to some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, a material deposition arrangement may be provided for depositing a layer of material on a substrate, wherein a pattern mask, such as a micro-metal mask (FMM) Is provided between the material deposition arrangement and the substrate. A pattern mask, such as FMM, may provide the pixel resolution of the display. Thus, the openings in the pattern mask can have dimensions of several microns and are positioned with a tolerance of several microns. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a shutter arrangement having one or more shutters that can be moved by a certain angle, e.g., about a shaft 211, can be used for line sources, Lt; / RTI > can be beneficially utilized for line sources oriented with < RTI ID = 0.0 > Shutter arrangements with rotating or swinging shutters extending along the line of openings in the line source can be easily positioned in front of the line and can be provided in a park position, as shown, for example, in FIGS. 5 and 6, Can be easily removed. Separate conditioning of line sources is beneficial to vertical substrate processing, where vertical substrate orientation in the micrometer range and vertical orientation of the pattern mask in the case of large substrate substrates are very difficult in its vertical substrate processing.

[0044] FIG. 5 shows the shaper 536 connected to the nozzles 526. FIG. The shaper 536 may be provided separately, i.e., for a plurality of nozzles 526 or apertures 126, one shaper 536 per nozzle or opening is provided. The shaper 536 can be circular, oval, square, rectangular, or the like in cross section. The shaper 536 extends from the nozzles 526 or openings 126 toward the substrate. The shaper 536 limits the angle of the evaporation plume of the nozzles or openings. The limited angle of emitted steam is beneficial in enabling a precision in the range of a few microns for a pattern mask, e.g., FFM. The shaper 536 may be shaper that restricts the evaporation emission angle in horizontal and vertical directions for two-dimensional shaper, e.g., an essentially horizontal, main evaporation direction, such as an essentially vertically oriented substrate. In accordance with some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the shaper 536 is an individual shaper for the openings 126 or the nozzles 526. According to further embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the shaper 536 may be heated. Heating the shaper 536 may be beneficial in reducing adhesion of the evaporation material on the shaper.

[0045] The circle 511 shown in Fig. 5 exemplarily illustrates the rotation of the right shutter 210 rotating about the right axis 211. Fig. The movement of the shutter plate 510 of the shutter 210 may be provided on a circle or a call. A gap 513 is provided between the surface of one or more shaper (s) 536 and the circle 511. Thus, a gap is provided between the shutter plate 510 and the surface of one or more shaper (s). According to some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the gap may be 5 mm or less. Additionally or alternatively, the gap may be 0.5 mm or more. For example, the gap may be between 2 mm and 4 mm.

[0046] According to some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the shutter plate 510 of the shutter 210 may have a concave shape. The shutter plate can be bent inward toward the shaft 211 side. This can improve the blocking of the evaporation material when the shutter 210 is moved forward of the opening 126.

[0047] In Fig. 5, the shutters 210, i.e., the first shutter and the second shutter, are shown in the park position. The park position of the shutter may be adjacent to one or more of the side portions 317 of the shielding device or shaper shielding device 137. Only the shutter plate 510 is provided in front of the opening 126, as can be understood from Figs. The connecting portion between the shaft 211 and the shutter plate, shown in Figure 5 (and other Figures), does not block the evaporation material from reaching the substrate. According to the embodiments described herein, the park position may be on the side of the frame providing the shielding device or shaper shielding device 137, e.g., on the left or right side of FIG. The park position may be provided on the outside of, for example, either side of the line of openings 126 or openings 126 to be utilized for co-evaporation.

[0048] According to some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the shaper shielding device 137 may include one or more additional walls 517. [ Additional walls 517, which may be provided by a sheet of material, for example, may create enclosures or peripheries for the shielding plate 510. The enclosure may be provided between a side portion 317 of the shielding device 137 and an additional wall, i. E. A material sheet or surface. The enclosure or periphery may provide space for a shutter in the park position, i. E. A shutter plate.

[0049] According to some embodiments, the additional wall or surface may be passively cooled by the cooling shielding portion 138, for example, through a shielding device or shaper shielding device 137. The indirectly cooled surfaces of the shielding device cover and / or enclose the shutter 210, i.e., the shutter plate 510. The shutter plate 510 can be heated by blocking the evaporation material. The enclosure or periphery where the surfaces are cooled reduces the heat load of the shutter plate 510 with an elevated temperature that can affect the substrate during processing of the substrate, i.e., co-evaporation of two or more deposition sources . According to additional or alternative variations that may be combined with other embodiments, examples, or variations described herein, the shutter 210, and in particular the shutter plate 510, may be directly, e.g., .

[0050] FIG. 6 illustrates an enclosure for a park position, which may also be used for other embodiments described herein, for example, material deposition arrangements having apertures or individual shaper for each of the nozzles. In addition, a circle about the right axis 211 shown in Fig. 6 is moved toward the nozzles 526 in comparison with Fig. Thus, the apertures and / or gaps between the nozzles in the embodiments described with respect to FIG. 6 may be similar to the gap 513 described with respect to FIG.

[0051] FIG. 7 shows a material deposition arrangement 100. The material deposition arrangement includes two or more deposition sources (105). Each of the deposition sources (one source shown in the cross-sectional side view of Figure 7) may include a crucible 110, a dispensing assembly 120, and respective openings 126, e.g., nozzles. The material vaporized in the crucible 110 is guided into the vacuum chamber through the openings 126 by the dispensing assembly 120. For example, the evaporation material may be directed toward the side shield 710 shown in FIG. 7 or toward the substrate. The evaporation direction can be horizontal with respect to the horizontal orientation, or it can be slightly inclined upward as shown in Fig. The evaporation direction can be inclined from 0 DEG to 10 DEG.

[0052] According to embodiments described herein, an apparatus for depositing a material may include a side shield 710. The side shield may be provided in front of the material source arrangement in the rotational idle position of the material source arrangement. The side shield may be provided to move the material deposition arrangement forward of the idle shield, e.g., forward of the idle shield by a certain angle, in the idle position of the material deposition arrangement. The side shield 710 can be an idle shield or, in general, a material deposition source arrangement, e.g., a shield for two or more deposition sources.

[0053] According to some embodiments, two or more evaporation sources 105 may be mounted in an evaporator control housing 180, such as an atmospheric box. The evaporator control housing may be connected to the outside of the vacuum chamber in which the material deposition arrangement operates.

[0054] Two or more evaporation sources may be supported by the support 780 for material deposition arrangements. The support may be configured for translational movement of the material deposition arrangement. The support may provide a housing for active and / or passive magnetic elements. Active and / or passive magnetic elements may provide magnetic levitation and / or magnetic drive of the material deposition arrangement. For example, referring to FIG. 7, the translational movement of the material deposition arrangement may be perpendicular to the paper plane of FIG.

[0055] FIG. 7 shows a shaper shielding device 137 having a top portion 417. The shutter 210 may be mounted on the upper portion 417 and the corresponding lower portion. The shutter 210 can be mounted using, for example, a rotatable pin 722. [ The cross-sectional view of Figure 7 shows one shutter, one mounting arrangement for the shutter, and one actuator for movement of the shutter. A shutter arrangement having two or more shutters 210 may include a corresponding number of components.

[0056] An actuator 726 is provided below the lower end portion of the shaper shielding device 137. The shaper shielding device, i.e., the shaper box, can shield the mounting portions of the shutter and / or the actuator from being exposed to the evaporation material. Actuator 726 may be a motor, such as a shaded-pole motor. For example, the motor may be engageable with the pin via magnets 724. Alternatively, a direct engagement of the actuator 726 with the pin 722 or the axis of the shutter may be provided.

[0057] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the shutter arrangement includes one or more shutters 210, wherein the shutters are movable by a certain angle. For example, the shutters can be rotated about an axis. For example, the shaft may be provided by a pin 722.

[0058] According to some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the material deposition source arrangement may include vertical shields 717. [ Figure 7 shows a vertical shield 717 in the lower portion of the shaper shield device and a vertical shield 717 in the upper portion of the shaper shield device. One or more vertical shields may define the evaporation angle of the material deposition arrangement in the vertical direction. For example, one or more vertical shields may define an angle of vertical evaporation of the evaporation sources 105, e.g., two or more evaporation sources 105, in the vertical direction. The vertical shields may be cover sheets.

[0059] Shutter arrangements in accordance with the embodiments described herein allow for conditioning, i.e., evaluating evaporation characteristics of a single deposition source, or two or more deposition sources, of a material deposition arrangement. The shutter arrangement may include two shutters. The two shutters may block material from, for example, two deposition sources. Thus, a material deposition arrangement having three deposition sources can be conditioned. According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, a shutter arrangement having shutters movable by a certain angle enables easy interception of nozzles and / or apertures in the line source. The plurality of openings in each of the evaporation sources or dispensing assemblies may be blocked by, for example, one shutter that is rotatable.

[0060] The shutter arrangement in accordance with the embodiments described herein allows the shutters to be moved to the park position, e.g., after uniformity and other conditioning are individually adjusted for the deposition sources. One or more shutters that are moveable, e.g., rotatable, by a certain angle enable park positions adjacent to a side portion of the shielding device, particularly within the enclosure formed by the shielding device.

[0061] 8 is a schematic representation of a deposition apparatus 1000 for depositing evaporation material on two or more substrates, e.g., substrate 10 and second substrate 11, according to some embodiments described herein. Respectively.

[0062] The deposition apparatus 1000 includes a vacuum chamber 1001. A material deposition arrangement 100, e.g., a deposition source, in accordance with any of the embodiments described herein is arranged in a vacuum chamber 1001. A first deposition region 201 and a second deposition region 202, which may be located on opposite sides of the deposition source, are provided in the vacuum chamber 1001. [ The substrate 10 can be arranged in the first deposition area 201 and the second substrate 11 can be arranged in the second deposition area 202. [

[0063] In this disclosure, "material deposition arrangement" should be understood as an arrangement configured for material deposition on a substrate, as described herein. In particular, " material deposition arrangement " can be understood as an arrangement configured for deposition of organic materials on large area substrates, e.g., for OLED display fabrication. For example, a " large area substrate " may have a major surface having an area of 0.5 m ² or greater, specifically 1 m ² or greater. In some embodiments, the large area substrate has GEN 4.5 corresponding to a substrate of about 0.67 m ² (0.73 x 0.92 m), GEN 5 corresponding to a substrate of about 1.4 m ² (1.1 mx 1.3 m), a height of about 4.29 m ² corresponding to the substrate (1.95 mx 2.2 m) GEN 7.5 , GEN 8.5, or even, the substrate (2.85 mx 3.05 m) of about 8.7 m ² corresponding to a substrate (2.2 mx 2.5 m) of approximately 5.7 m ^2, which corresponds to 0.0 > 10 < / RTI > Larger generations such as GEN 11 and GEN 12 and corresponding substrate areas can similarly be implemented.

[0064] For example, the substrate may be formed of any material or material that can be coated by a deposition process, such as glass (e.g., soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, etc.), metal, polymer, ceramic, compound materials, ≪ / RTI > and combinations thereof.

[0065] In this disclosure, "vacuum deposition chamber" should be understood as a chamber configured for vacuum deposition. As used herein, the term " vacuum " can be understood in the sense of a technical vacuum having a vacuum pressure of, for example, less than 10 mbar. Typically, the pressure in the vacuum chamber as described herein is from 10 ^-5 mbar to about 10 ^-8 mbar, more typically from 10 ^-5 mbar to 10 ^-7 mbar, and even more typically from about 10 ^-6 mbar To about 10 < ^-7 > mbar.

[0066] In some embodiments, the material deposition arrangement 100 sequentially passes through a first deposition area 201 for coating the substrate 10 and a second deposition area 202 for coating the second substrate 11 Lt; / RTI > The plurality of nozzles may be open or unblocked while the deposition source is moving past the first deposition zone 201 so that evaporation toward the substrate 10 arranged in the first deposition zone 201 The material can be oriented. The substrate 10 may have an intrinsic vertical orientation. For example, the substrate 10 may be held by the substrate carrier in an essentially vertical orientation, wherein the substrate carrier may be configured to transport the substrate 10 through the vacuum chamber 1001. The substrate carrier may be supported by the substrate carrier support in a vacuum chamber. For example, the substrate carrier support may be a magnetic levitation system for the substrate carrier.

[0067] The carrier or substrate carrier may be configured to support the substrate and / or the mask in a non-horizontal orientation, especially an intrinsic vertical orientation. As used herein, " intrinsic vertical orientation " can be understood as an orientation in which the angle between the gravitational vector and the major surface of the substrate carrier is between + 10 ° and -10 °, specifically between 5 ° and -5 °. In some embodiments, the orientation of the substrate carrier is not vertical (precisely) during transport and / or during deposition, for example, at an oblique angle of 0 [deg.] To -5 [ It can be slightly inclined. Negative angles refer to the orientation of the substrate carrier in which the substrate carrier is tilted downward, i.e., the substrate surface to be processed is facing downward. Deviations of the mask and substrate orientations from the gravitational vector during deposition can be beneficial and can result in a more stable deposition process, or a downward orientation can be suitable to reduce particles on the substrate during deposition. However, accurate vertical alignment (+/- 1 [deg.]) Of the mask device during transport and / or during deposition is also possible.

[0068] In some embodiments, a mask 20 may be arranged between the substrate 10 and the deposition source 100 in front of the substrate 10, i.e. during deposition. For example, the mask 20 may be a micro-metal mask having an opening pattern configured to deposit a complementary material pattern on the substrate. Alternatively, the mask may be an edge exclusion mask.

[0069] According to the embodiments described herein, material deposition using a pattern mask, such as a fine metal mask (FFM), can be provided on large area substrates. Thus, the size of the region in which the material is to be deposited is, for example, 1.4 m ² or more. In addition, the pattern mask for pixel creation of the display, for example, provides a pattern in the micron range. The positioning tolerances of the apertures of the pattern mask in the micron range can be complicated for large areas. This is especially true for vertically or essentially vertically oriented substrates. Even gravity acting on each frame of the pattern mask and / or pattern mask can degrade the positioning accuracy of the pattern mask. Thus, improved chucking arrangement for chucking a pattern mask on a substrate is particularly beneficial for vertical (essentially vertical) substrate processing.

[0070] In some embodiments, a second mask 21 is arranged between the second substrate 11 and the material deposition source 105 in front of the second substrate 11, i.e. during deposition on the second substrate 11 . The material deposition source arrangement can be used to deposit the first substrates in the first deposition area 201 and the second substrates in the second deposition area 202 as described for FIG. 7 (see axis 701) It can rotate. For deposition of the material on one substrate, the material deposition arrangement can be moved along arrow H.

[0071] In some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the material deposition source 105 may include three or more evaporating crucibles 122, and three or more evaporating crucibles 122 and three or more distribution pipes 121, respectively, that are fluidly connected to one of the plurality of distribution pipes 121, 122, respectively. Three or more distribution pipes may extend essentially parallel to one another in an essentially vertical direction. Nozzles can be provided to the distribution pipes along the longitudinal directions of the distribution pipes. For example, ten, thirty or more nozzles may be provided in the front wall of each of the two or more distribution pipes. The nozzles of the first distribution pipe, the nozzles of the second distribution pipe, and / or the nozzles of the third distribution pipe may be inclined relative to each other such that each plume of evaporation material meets at the position of the substrate. Thus, the plurality of nozzles may include 90 or more nozzles, such as about 150 nozzles. Employing deposition source 150 in accordance with the embodiments described herein may be beneficial for high quality display manufacturing, particularly OLED manufacturing.

[0072] In some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, a first deposition region 201 may be provided on the opposite side of the second deposition region 202 in the vacuum chamber 1001. In some embodiments, the material deposition source 105 may rotate by an angle of essentially 180 [deg.] From the first deposition area 201 to the second deposition area 202. [

[0073] In accordance with embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the distribution pipes or dispensing assemblies 120 may be elongate tubes that include heating elements. The evaporation crucible 110 may be a reservoir for a material to be evaporated, such as an organic material, using a heating unit. For example, a heating unit may be provided in the enclosure of the evaporation crucible. According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the distribution pipes may provide line sources.

[0074] According to some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the length of the distribution pipes may correspond to the height of the substrate on which the material is to be deposited. Alternatively, the length of the distribution pipes may be longer than the height of the substrates. Thus, a uniform deposition can be provided at the upper end of the substrate and / or the lower end of the substrate. For example, the length of the distribution pipes may be 1.3 m or more, such as 2.5 m or more.

[0075] According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the crucible 110, i.e., the evaporation crucible, may be provided at the lower end of the distribution pipe. Materials, such as organic materials, can be evaporated in the evaporation crucible. The evaporation material may enter the dispensing pipe at the bottom of the dispensing pipe and may be guided essentially laterally through the plurality of nozzles in the dispensing pipe, e.g., toward an essentially vertically oriented substrate.

[0076] According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the material deposition arrangement 100 may be provided on a source track 30, e.g., a linear guide or a looped track. The source track 30 may be configured for translational movement of the material deposition source 105, for example, in the horizontal direction H. [

[0077] According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, a first valve 1002, e.g., a gate valve, may be provided to enable vacuum sealing for an adjacent vacuum chamber, e.g., a routing chamber. The first valve 1002 can be opened for transport of the substrate or mask into or out of the vacuum chamber 1001. [

[0078] According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, an additional vacuum chamber, such as a maintenance vacuum chamber 1004, may be provided in the vacuum chamber 1001, as exemplarily shown in FIG. Can be provided adjacently. The vacuum chamber 1001 and the maintenance vacuum chamber 1004 may be connected by a second valve 1003. The second valve 1003 can be configured to open and close the vacuum seal between the vacuum chamber 1001 and the maintenance vacuum chamber 1004. The material deposition source 105 can be transferred to the maintenance vacuum chamber 1004 while the second valve 1003 is in the open state. Thereafter, the second valve 1003 may be closed to provide a vacuum seal between the vacuum chamber 1001 and the maintenance vacuum chamber 1004. When the second valve 1003 is closed, the maintenance vacuum chamber 1004 can be vented and opened for maintenance of the material deposition source 105 without destroying the vacuum in the vacuum chamber 1001 have.

[0079] According to some embodiments, methods of operating a material deposition arrangement of a processing system and methods of conditioning a material deposition arrangement having at least a first deposition source and a second deposition source are provided. Figure 9 shows a flow diagram illustrating a method for conditioning a material deposition arrangement having at least a first deposition source and a second deposition source. Other methods may be provided by corresponding and / or additional processes disclosed herein. As indicated by box 902, the material is shut off at the first deposition source by the shutter. For example, the shutter is positioned at one or more apertures of the first deposition source or in front of one or more apertures thereof. While the shutter is blocking the material from the first deposition source, the second deposition source may be conditioned. As indicated by box 904, the shutter is moved by a certain angle to the second deposition source. For example, the shutter may be rotated about an axis. The shutter is moved by a certain angle. According to embodiments described herein that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, in addition to rotation, translational movement of the shutter can be provided. The rotation axis may be provided on the exterior of the shutter body, in particular on the exterior of the shutter plate body.

[0080] As indicated by box 906, the material is cut off at the second deposition source by the shutter. The shutter has moved to the second deposition source, as indicated by box 904, to block the material. For example, the shutter is positioned at one or more apertures of the second deposition source or in front of one or more apertures thereof. While the shutter is blocking the material from the second deposition source, the first deposition source may be conditioned. As indicated by box 908, the shutter is moved by a certain angle to the park position. The park position is a position at which the material from the first deposition source as well as the material from the second deposition source are blocked. For example, the shutter may be rotated about an axis. The shutter is moved by a certain angle. According to embodiments described herein that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, in addition to rotation, translational movement of the shutter can be provided. The rotation axis may be provided on the exterior of the shutter body, in particular on the exterior of the shutter plate body. As indicated by box 910, after the deposition sources are both conditioned (boxes 902 and 906), a material layer (not shown) is deposited on the substrate by simultaneous evaporation of the first and second deposition sources Is deposited.

[0081] While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the present disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the following claims Lt; / RTI >

[0082] In particular, the written description uses examples to disclose the present disclosure, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use any devices or systems, including performing any of the contained methods , And use examples to make it possible to implement the described content. While various specific embodiments have been disclosed above, the mutually exclusive features of the embodiments described above may be combined with one another. A patentable scope is defined by the claims, and other examples include cases where the claims have structural elements that do not differ from the words of the claims, or where the claims include equivalent structural elements that do not have substantial differences from the words of the claims , Are intended to be within the scope of the claims.

Claims (16)

A material deposition arrangement (100) for depositing material on a substrate in a vacuum deposition chamber,
A first deposition source (105) having one or more first openings (126);
A second deposition source (105) having one or more second openings (126); And
A shutter arrangement having at least a first shutter (210) configured to be movable by an angle to the one or more first apertures or the one or more second apertures,
/ RTI >
Material Deposition Arrangement. The method according to claim 1,
The at least first shutter is rotatable about an axis 211,
Material Deposition Arrangement. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Further comprising a third deposition source (105) having one or more third openings (126)
Wherein the shutter arrangement comprises:
Further comprising a second shutter movable by a certain angle to said one or more second openings, said one or more third openings, and a second park position,
Material Deposition Arrangement. A material deposition arrangement (100) for depositing material on a substrate in a vacuum deposition chamber,
A first deposition source (105) having one or more first openings (126);
A second deposition source (105) having one or more second openings (126);
A first shutter 210; And
An actuator for moving said first shutter by a certain angle forward of said one or more first openings or forward of said one or more second openings,
/ RTI >
Material Deposition Arrangement. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Wherein the shutter moves at an angle to the one or more first openings, the one or more second openings, or the first park position,
Material Deposition Arrangement. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a shaper shield device.
Material Deposition Arrangement. The method according to claim 6,
At least the first shutter being mounted on the shaper shielding device,
Material Deposition Arrangement. 8. The method of claim 7,
At least the first shutter is mounted on at least an upper portion of the shaper shielding device,
Material Deposition Arrangement. 9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8,
Wherein the shaper shielding device is connected to the cooling shield,
Material Deposition Arrangement. 10. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 9,
Wherein the shaper shielding device further comprises an additional wall and side portions forming an enclosure to define a park position,
Material Deposition Arrangement. 9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8,
The shaper shielding device further includes an additional wall and side portions forming an enclosure to define a park position,
Wherein the shaper shielding device is connected to a cooling shield, the side portion and the additional wall being passively cooled by the cooling shield,
Material Deposition Arrangement. 12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
At least the first deposition source is a line source having a plurality of openings extending along a line, at least the first shutter is movable by the predetermined angle to be positioned in front of the plurality of openings,
Material Deposition Arrangement. As the vacuum vapor deposition system 1000,
A vacuum deposition chamber; And
The material deposition arrangement (100) according to any one of the claims 1 to 11, in the vacuum deposition chamber,
/ RTI >
Vacuum deposition system. 14. The method of claim 13,
Further comprising a substrate carrier support for supporting the substrate in an essentially vertical orientation,
Vacuum deposition system. 15. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 14,
Wherein the material deposition arrangement comprises a support for translatory movement of the material deposition arrangement into a floating state,
Vacuum deposition system. A method for conditioning a material deposition arrangement having at least a first deposition source and a second deposition source,
Blocking materials at the first deposition source with a shutter;
Conditioning the second deposition source;
Moving the shutter by a predetermined angle to the second deposition source;
Blocking the material at the second deposition source;
Conditioning the second deposition source;
Moving the shutter by a predetermined angle; And
Depositing a material layer on the substrate by co-evaporation of the first deposition source and the second deposition source
/ RTI >
A method for conditioning a material deposition arrangement.

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