EP3743539A1 - Evaporator for evaporating a source material, material deposition source, deposition apparatus and methods therefor - Google Patents
Evaporator for evaporating a source material, material deposition source, deposition apparatus and methods thereforInfo
- Publication number
- EP3743539A1 EP3743539A1 EP18701455.0A EP18701455A EP3743539A1 EP 3743539 A1 EP3743539 A1 EP 3743539A1 EP 18701455 A EP18701455 A EP 18701455A EP 3743539 A1 EP3743539 A1 EP 3743539A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- source material
- evaporator
- crucible
- heater
- source
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Pending
Links
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- 238000001704 evaporation Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 55
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 46
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- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 claims description 70
- 238000000151 deposition Methods 0.000 claims description 63
- 238000009826 distribution Methods 0.000 claims description 39
- 238000001771 vacuum deposition Methods 0.000 claims description 20
- 230000008020 evaporation Effects 0.000 description 22
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- 229920000049 Carbon (fiber) Polymers 0.000 description 1
- VGGSQFUCUMXWEO-UHFFFAOYSA-N Ethene Chemical compound C=C VGGSQFUCUMXWEO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
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Classifications
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
- C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
- C23C14/00—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material
- C23C14/22—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material characterised by the process of coating
- C23C14/24—Vacuum evaporation
- C23C14/243—Crucibles for source material
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
- C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
- C23C14/00—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material
- C23C14/06—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material characterised by the coating material
- C23C14/12—Organic material
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
- C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
- C23C14/00—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material
- C23C14/22—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material characterised by the process of coating
- C23C14/24—Vacuum evaporation
- C23C14/26—Vacuum evaporation by resistance or inductive heating of the source
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
- C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
- C23C14/00—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material
- C23C14/22—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material characterised by the process of coating
- C23C14/56—Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating; Arrangements for maintaining the vacuum, e.g. vacuum locks
- C23C14/562—Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating; Arrangements for maintaining the vacuum, e.g. vacuum locks for coating elongated substrates
Definitions
- Embodiments of the disclosure relate to deposition apparatuses for depositing one or more layers on a substrate, particularly a flexible substrate.
- embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatuses and methods for coating a substrate with one or more layers, e.g. for thin-film solar cell production, flexible display production or thin-film battery production.
- embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatuses and methods for coating a flexible substrate in a roll-to-roll (R2R) process.
- embodiments of the present disclosure relate to evaporators employed in such deposition apparatuses for evaporating the material to be deposited on the substrate.
- Processing of flexible substrates is in high demand in the packaging industry, semiconductor industries and other industries. Processing may consist of coating of a flexible substrate with a material, such as a metal, a semiconductor and a dielectric material, etching and other processing actions conducted on a substrate for the respective applications.
- Systems performing this task generally include a coating drum, e.g. a cylindrical roller, coupled to a processing system with a roller assembly for transporting the substrate, and on which at least a portion of the substrate is coated.
- a coating process such as a CVD process or a PVD process, particularly a sputter process, can be utilized for depositing thin layers onto flexible substrates.
- Roll-to-roll deposition apparatuses are to be understood in that a flexible substrate of a considerable length, such as one kilometre or more, is uncoiled from a storage spool, coated with a stack of thin layers, and recoiled again on a wind-up spool.
- the increasing demand for flexible touch panel elements, flexible displays, and flexible photovoltaic modules result in an increasing demand for depositing suitable layers in R2R- coaters.
- the evaporation of the material to be deposited still poses some challenges with respect to providing the optimal evaporation conditions for various materials to be evaporated.
- an evaporator, a deposition source, a deposition apparatus and methods therefor are provided which are improved compared to conventional evaporators, deposition sources, apparatuses and methods therefor.
- an evaporator for evaporating a source material includes a crucible having an inner volume for receiving the source material. Further, the evaporator includes a first heater for heating the source material.
- the first heater is provided at a top wall of the crucible.
- a material deposition source for depositing material on a substrate.
- the material deposition source includes an evaporator for evaporating a source material according to embodiments described herein. Further, the material deposition source includes a distribution assembly connected to the evaporator. The distribution assembly is configured for directing the evaporated source material to the substrate.
- a deposition apparatus for depositing material onto a substrate.
- the deposition apparatus includes a vacuum deposition chamber and a material deposition source having a distribution assembly connected to an evaporator according to embodiments described herein. At least the distribution assembly of the material deposition source is arranged within the vacuum deposition chamber.
- a method of evaporating a source material includes providing an evaporator comprising a crucible having an inner volume for receiving the source material. Further, the method includes evaporating the source material by heating the source material using a first heater provided at a top wall of the crucible. [0010] According to a yet further aspect of the present disclosure, a method of depositing evaporated material on a substrate is provided. The method includes conducting the method of evaporating a source material according to embodiments described herein. Further, the method includes guiding the evaporated source material from the crucible into a distribution assembly having a plurality of outlets, and directing the evaporated source material by the plurality of outlets to the substrate.
- Embodiments are also directed at apparatuses for carrying out the disclosed methods and include apparatus parts for performing each described method aspect. These method aspects may be performed by way of hardware components, a computer programmed by appropriate software, by any combination of the two or in any other manner. Furthermore, embodiments according to the disclosure are also directed at methods for operating the described apparatus. The methods for operating the described apparatus include method aspects for carrying out every function of the apparatus.
- FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an evaporator for evaporating a source material according to embodiments described herein;
- FIGS. 2 and 3 show schematic views of an evaporator for evaporating a source material according to further embodiments described herein;
- FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of an evaporator for evaporating a source material according to embodiments described herein, including a connection pipe for connecting the evaporator to a distribution assembly according to embodiments described herein;
- FIGS. 5 and 6 show schematic views of an evaporator for evaporating a source material according to further embodiments described herein;
- FIG. 7 shows a schematic view of a material deposition source for depositing material on a substrate according to embodiments described herein;
- FIG. 8 shows a schematic view of a deposition apparatus for depositing material onto a substrate according to embodiments described herein;
- FIG. 9 shows a flowchart for illustrating a method of evaporating a source material according to embodiments described herein;
- FIG. 10 shows a flowchart for illustrating a method of depositing evaporated material on a substrate according to embodiments described herein.
- the evaporator 100 includes a crucible 110 having an inner volume 101 for receiving the source material 105.
- the inner volume 101 corresponds to a space confined within the top wall 111, the side walls 112 and the bottom wall of the crucible.
- the top wall 111 is opposite the bottom wall 113.
- the top wall 111 is facing the bottom wall 113.
- the side walls 112 connect the bottom wall with the top wall.
- typically the source material 105 is in contact with the bottom wall 113 and at least a portion of the side walls 112, particularly the lower portions of the side walls.
- the evaporator 100 includes a first heater 121 for heating the source material 105.
- the first heater 121 is provided at a top wall 111 of the crucible 110.
- the first heater 121 can be provided around an opening 115 providing a passage for evaporated material from the inner volume 101.
- the first heater 121 can be provided on an outside surface of the top wall 111 of the crucible 110.
- the first heater 121 can be provided in the top wall 111 of the crucible 110.
- embodiments of the evaporator as described herein are improved compared to conventional evaporators.
- embodiments of the evaporator as described herein have the advantage that for evaporating the source material, only a portion of the source material is heated to the evaporation or sublimation temperature of the source material.
- embodiments of the apparatus as described herein provide for the possibility to apply heat at the solid/gaseous interface of the source material.
- the solid/gaseous interface of the source material 105 is exemplarily indicated by the dotted line from which the arrows originate. The arrows originating from said dotted line symbolize evaporated source material.
- an“evaporator for evaporating a source material” can be understood as an evaporator configured for evaporating a source material by heating the source material employing a heater.
- the“source material” may be a material having an evaporation temperature of about l00°C to about 600°C.
- the“source material” can be an organic material, for instance for organic light emitting diode (OLED) production.
- a“crucible” can be understood as a device having a reservoir for the material to be evaporated by heating the crucible.
- a“crucible” can be understood as a source material reservoir which can be heated to vaporize the source material into a gas by at least one of evaporation and sublimation of the source material.
- the reservoir can have an inner volume for receiving the source material to be evaporated, e.g. an organic material.
- the inner volume of the crucible can be between 100 cm 3 and 3000 cm 3 , particularly between 700 cm 3 and 1700 cm 3 , more particularly 1200 cm 3 .
- the inner volume of the crucible is provided by the product of the height H, the width (W) and the length (L), as exemplarily shown in FIG. 5.
- a“heater for heating the source material” can be understood as a heating unit or heating device configured to heat the source material, particularly to vaporize the source material into a gaseous source material.
- the source material provided in the inner volume of the crucible is heated up to a temperature at which the source material evaporates.
- the material to be evaporated can be in the form of a powder.
- Source materials in powder form are typically poor thermal conductors. As a result, it typically takes a long time to fully heat through the whole volume of source material, and the system is slow to respond to any imposed changes in temperature (i.e. temperature changes for adjusting the evaporation rate).
- the top wall 111 of the crucible 110 includes an opening 115 providing a passage for evaporated material from the inner volume 101 of the crucible.
- an opening providing a passage for evaporated material from the inner volume of the crucible can be provided in a side wall 112 of the crucible 110, particularly an upper portion of the side wall of the crucible.
- the evaporator 100 further includes a second heater 122 provided at a side wall 112 of the crucible 110.
- the second heater 122 can be provided on an outside surface of the side wall 112 of the crucible 110.
- the second heater 122 can be provided in the side wall 112 of the crucible 110.
- the second heater 122 can be provided by two separate second heaters provided at opposing side walls as exemplarily shown in FIG. 2.
- the second heater can be provided by four separate second heaters each provided at one of the four sidewalls of the crucible.
- Fig. 5 shows an isometric schematic view of the crucible having four sidewalls connecting the bottom wall 113 with the top wall 111 of the crucible.
- one or more second heaters can be provided on respective outside surfaces of the side walls of the crucible.
- one or more second heaters particularly two or four second heaters, can be provided in the respective side walls of the crucible. Accordingly, providing one or more second heaters as described herein can be beneficial for generating a homogeneous evaporation of the source material.
- the evaporator 100 further includes a third heater 123 provided at a bottom wall 113 of the crucible 110.
- the third heater 123 can be provided on an outside surface of the bottom wall 113 of the crucible 110.
- the third heater 123 can be provided in the bottom wall 113 of the crucible 110.
- Providing a third heater as described herein can be beneficial for improving the evaporation of the source material. For instance, it can be beneficial to preheat the source material by the third heater such that the thermal energy for the evaporation of the source material applied by the first heater can be reduced.
- the evaporator 100 further includes a connection pipe 130, as exemplarily shown in FIG. 4.
- a first end 131 of the connection pipe may have a first orientation and is connected to the opening 115 of the crucible.
- a second end 132 of the connection pipe 130 has a second orientation which is different from the first orientation.
- the connection pipe 130 can include a bending 133.
- the first orientation of the first end 131 of the connection pipe 130 can be vertical ⁇ 20°, particularly vertical ⁇ 5°.
- the second orientation of the second end 132 of the connection pipe 130 can be horizontal ⁇ 20°, particularly horizontal ⁇ 5°.
- the vertical direction is indicated by arrow V and the horizontal direction is indicated by arrow H.
- connection pipe 130 is configured for guiding evaporated material from the crucible to a distribution assembly 210, as described in more detail with reference to FIG. 7.
- a“connection pipe” can be understood as a pipe or tube which is configured for providing fluid communication between the crucible and the distribution assembly as described herein.
- the inner volume 101 of the crucible has a height H, a width W and a length L, the length L being larger than the height H, as exemplarily shown in FIG. 5.
- a ratio of the height H of the inner volume to the length of the inner volume H/L is 0.8 or less, particularly 0.7 or less, more particularly 0.6 or less.
- the surface of the source material exposed to heat provided from the first heater 121 at the top wall 111 can be increased. Accordingly, the solid/gaseous interface of the source material can be increased which can be beneficial for improving the evaporation conditions.
- the crucible may be an elongated crucible configured for providing a large top surface of source material provided in the crucible.
- the evaporator may include three separate heaters to allow for independent heating of the source material from the top, the sides and the bottom.
- a top heater i.e. the first heater as described herein
- the top surface area of the source material can directly be heated which has the advantage that the entire volume of source material does not have to be at the same temperature for evaporation to occur.
- embodiments of the evaporator as described herein provide for a better evaporation process control, since a faster response time to imposed temperature changes can be realized.
- the bulk of the source material can remain at a lower temperature than the top surface, which is beneficial for slowing down the rate of material degradation.
- the evaporator 100 further includes a controller 160.
- the controller 160 is configured for providing a first control signal Sl to the first heater 121.
- the controller 160 can be configured for providing a second control signal S2 to the second heater 122.
- the second control signal S2 can be different from the first control signal S 1.
- the first control signal S 1 typically controls the heating of the first heater 121 and the second control signal S2 controls the heating of the second heater 122.
- the first control signal Sl may trigger to heat the first heater 121 to a first temperature and the second control signal S2 may trigger to heat second heater 122 to a second temperature.
- the first temperature is different from the second temperature.
- the first temperature can be higher than the second temperature. Accordingly, by providing an evaporator having a controller as described herein, an evaporator is provided with which evaporation source material can be controlled and adjusted according to the source material used.
- the controller 160 can be configured for providing a third control signal S3 to the third heater 123.
- the third control signal S3 can be different from the first control signal Sl and/or the second control signal S2.
- the third control signal S3 typically controls the heating of the third heater 123. More specifically, the third control signal S3 may trigger to heat the third heater 123 to a third temperature.
- the first temperature is different from the first temperature and/or the second temperature.
- the third temperature can be lower than the first temperature and/or the second temperature.
- controlling heating of the third heater 123 by a controller as described herein can be beneficial to provide for a preheating of the source material.
- Preheating of the source material can be beneficial for optimizing the evaporations conditions, particularly advantageous for sensitive source materials.
- preheating of the source material can be beneficial for reducing the thermal energy for the evaporation of the source material applied by the first heater.
- the material deposition source 200 includes an evaporator 100 for evaporating a source material 105 according to embodiments described herein. Further, the material deposition source 200 includes a distribution assembly 210 connected to the evaporator 100. For instance, the distribution assembly 210 can be connected to the evaporator 100 via a connection pipe 130 as described herein. Typically, the distribution assembly 210 is configured for directing the evaporated source material to the substrate 201.
- material deposition source can be understood as a device or assembly configured for providing a source of material to be deposited on a substrate.
- a“material deposition source” may be understood as a device or assembly having an evaporator including a crucible configured to evaporate the material to be deposited.
- a “material deposition source” of the present disclosure typically includes a“distribution assembly” configured for guiding gaseous, evaporated source material to a substrate to be coated.
- a“distribution assembly” can be understood as an assembly configured for providing evaporated material, particularly a plume of evaporated material, from the distribution assembly to the substrate.
- the distribution assembly may include a distribution pipe which can be an elongated cube.
- a distribution pipe as described herein may provide a line source with a plurality of outlets 205.
- the plurality of outlets 205 are arranged along the length of the distribution assembly, as exemplarily shown in FIG. 7.
- the distribution assembly can be a linear distribution showerhead, for example, having a plurality of openings (or an elongated slit) disposed therein.
- a showerhead as understood herein can have an enclosure, hollow space, or pipe, in which the evaporated material can be provided or guided, for example from the evaporation crucible to the substrate.
- the length of the distribution pipe may correspond at least to the width of the substrate to be coated.
- the length of the distribution pipe may be longer than the width of the substrate to be coated, at least by 10% or even 20%.
- the length of the distribution pipe can be 1.3 m or above, for example 2.5 m or above. Accordingly, a uniform deposition at the edges of the substrate can be provided.
- the distribution assembly may include one or more point sources which can be arranged along a horizontal direction.
- the distribution assembly can be configured to provide a line source, e.g. extending essentially in a horizontal direction H as shown in FIG. 7.
- a line source e.g. extending essentially in a horizontal direction H as shown in FIG. 7.
- the term“essentially in a horizontal direction” is to be understood to allow for a deviation from the horizontal direction of 10°, particularly 5° or below.
- embodiments on the material deposition source 200 as described herein are configured for guiding the evaporated source material from the evaporator 100, through the distribution assembly to the substrate 201.
- the evaporated source material exits the distribution assembly though the plurality of outlets 205 of the distribution assembly.
- the one or more outlets of the distribution assembly e.g. a distribution pipe, can be nozzles arranged along a longitudinal axis of the distribution assembly.
- the longitudinal axis of the distribution assembly can be essentially horizontal, as exemplarily shown in FIG. 7.
- the term“substrate” may embrace flexible substrates such as a web or a foil.
- the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the term“substrate” may also embrace substantially inflexible substrates, e.g., a wafer, slices of transparent crystal such as sapphire or the like, or a glass plate.
- substantially inflexible is understood to distinguish over“flexible”.
- a substantially inflexible substrate can have a certain degree of flexibility, e.g. a glass plate having a thickness of 0.5 mm or below, wherein the flexibility of the substantially inflexible substrate is small in comparison to the flexible substrates.
- the substrate may be made of any material suitable for material deposition.
- the substrate may be made of a material selected from the group consisting of glass (for instance sodalime glass, borosilicate glass etc.), metal, polymer, ceramic, compound materials, carbon fiber materials or any other material or combination of materials which can be coated by a deposition process.
- a “flexible substrate” may be understood as a substrate that is bendable.
- a flexible substrate as referred to herein may be understood as a substrate suitable for being coated in an evaporation apparatus, in particular in a reactive evaporation apparatus.
- the flexible substrate may be a foil or a web, e.g.
- foil or a web made of or containing plastics and polymers such as polypropylene, PET substrates, substrates made of or containing OPP, BOPP, CPP, PE, LDPE, HDPE, OPA, PET), pre-coated paper, or biodegradable films (such as PL A).
- plastics and polymers such as polypropylene, PET substrates, substrates made of or containing OPP, BOPP, CPP, PE, LDPE, HDPE, OPA, PET), pre-coated paper, or biodegradable films (such as PL A).
- the deposition apparatus 300 includes a vacuum deposition chamber 310 and a material deposition source 200 according embodiments described herein. As exemplarily shown in FIG. 8, at least the distribution assembly 210 of the material deposition source 200 is arranged within the vacuum deposition chamber 310. The evaporator 100 connected to the distribution assembly 210 via the connection pipe 130 may be arranged outside the vacuum deposition chamber 310.
- a“vacuum deposition chamber” is to be understood as a chamber configured for vacuum deposition.
- the term“vacuum”, as used herein, can be understood in the sense of a technical vacuum having a vacuum pressure of less than, for example, 10 mbar.
- the pressure in a vacuum chamber as described herein may be between 10 5 mbar and about 10 8 mbar, more typically between 10 5 mbar and 10 7 mbar, and even more typically between about 10 6 mbar and about l0 7 mbar.
- the pressure in the vacuum chamber may be considered to be either the partial pressure of the evaporated material within the vacuum chamber or the total pressure (which may approximately be the same when only the evaporated material is present as a component to be deposited in the vacuum chamber).
- the total pressure in the vacuum chamber may range from about 10 4 mbar to about 10 7 mbar, especially in the case that a second component besides the evaporated material is present in the vacuum chamber (such as a gas or the like).
- the deposition apparatus 300 can be a roll-to-roll deposition apparatus, as exemplarily shown in FIG. 8. Accordingly, the substrate can be a flexible substrate. Further, the deposition apparatus may have at least one roll configured for transporting the flexible substrate.
- the deposition apparatus 300 may include a first spool chamber 311, a vacuum deposition chamber 310 arranged downstream from the first spool chamber 311, and a second spool chamber 312 arranged downstream from vacuum deposition chamber 310.
- the first spool chamber 311 typically houses a storage spool 313 with a flexible substrate wound thereon
- the second spool chamber 312 typically houses a wind-up spool 314 for winding the coated flexible substrate thereon after deposition.
- a roller assembly 315 comprising a plurality of rolls or rollers can be provided for transporting the substrate along a substrate transportation path from the storage spool 313 through the vacuum deposition chamber 310 to the wind-up spool 314.
- the term“downstream from” as used herein may refer to the position of the respective chamber or of the respective component with respect to another chamber or component along the substrate transportation path.
- the substrate is guided from the first spool chamber 311 through the vacuum deposition chamber 310 and subsequently guided to the second spool chamber 312 along the substrate transportation path via the roller assembly 315.
- the vacuum deposition chamber 310 is arranged downstream from the first spool chamber 311, and the second spool chamber 312 is arranged downstream from the vacuum deposition chamber 310.
- one or more further vacuum deposition chambers may be provided.
- one or more further vacuum deposition chambers can be provided between the first spool chamber 311 and the vacuum deposition chamber 310.
- one or more further vacuum deposition chambers can be provided between the vacuum deposition chamber 310 and the second spool chamber 312.
- the method 400 includes providing (block 410) an evaporator 100 including a crucible 110 having an inner volume 101 for receiving the source material.
- the evaporator 100 is an evaporator according to embodiments described herein.
- the method 400 includes evaporating (block 420) the source material by heating the source material using a first heater 121 provided at a top wall 111 of the crucible 110.
- the method 400 of evaporating a source material includes heating the source material using a second heater 122 and/or a third heater 123 as described herein.
- the method 400 of evaporating a source material may include controlling the heating of the first heater 121 and/or the second heater 122 and/or the third heater 123 by using a controller 160, as for example described with reference to FIG. 6.
- the method 500 includes conducting (block 510) the method 400 of evaporating a source material according to embodiments described herein. Additionally, the method 500 includes guiding (block 520) the evaporated source material from the crucible into a distribution assembly having a plurality of outlets. Further, the method 500 includes directing (block 530) the evaporated source material by the plurality of outlets to the substrate.
- embodiments of the evaporator, the embodiments of the deposition source, the embodiments of apparatuses and the embodiments of the methods therefor are improved with respect to the state of the art.
- embodiments of the present disclosure have the advantage that the evaporation of source material can be controlled and adjusted such that the evaporation of source material can be optimized according to the source material used.
- embodiments of the present disclosure beneficially provide the possibility to avoid degradation of sensitive source materials because the heating of the source material can be selectively applied to the solid/gaseous interface of source material. Accordingly, beneficially embodiments of the present disclosure are more efficient and can be operated at lower costs compared to the state of the art.
Abstract
Description
Claims
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
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PCT/EP2018/051540 WO2019145014A1 (en) | 2018-01-23 | 2018-01-23 | Evaporator for evaporating a source material, material deposition source, deposition apparatus and methods therefor |
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EP3743539A1 true EP3743539A1 (en) | 2020-12-02 |
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EP18701455.0A Pending EP3743539A1 (en) | 2018-01-23 | 2018-01-23 | Evaporator for evaporating a source material, material deposition source, deposition apparatus and methods therefor |
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EP (1) | EP3743539A1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN111655898A (en) |
WO (1) | WO2019145014A1 (en) |
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WO2021139880A1 (en) * | 2020-01-07 | 2021-07-15 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Evaporation method, evaporation apparatus, and evaporation source |
CN112626465A (en) * | 2020-12-29 | 2021-04-09 | 尚越光电科技股份有限公司 | External selenium source structure of CIGS co-evaporation method |
CN116964240A (en) * | 2021-02-16 | 2023-10-27 | 应用材料公司 | Crucible, evaporation source, evaporation method, evaporation system and method for manufacturing device |
Family Cites Families (13)
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JPH04236769A (en) * | 1991-01-17 | 1992-08-25 | Ulvac Japan Ltd | Film forming device |
KR100889758B1 (en) * | 2002-09-03 | 2009-03-20 | 삼성모바일디스플레이주식회사 | Heating crucible of organic thin film forming apparatus |
KR100758694B1 (en) * | 2006-05-24 | 2007-09-13 | 세메스 주식회사 | Linear type evaporator for manufacturing elements of organic semiconductor device |
KR100862340B1 (en) * | 2007-08-16 | 2008-10-13 | 세메스 주식회사 | Linear evaporator for manufacturing thin film of organic light emitting diodes(oled) |
JP2010159448A (en) * | 2009-01-07 | 2010-07-22 | Canon Inc | Film deposition apparatus and film deposition method |
CN102268642A (en) * | 2011-07-22 | 2011-12-07 | 上海奕瑞光电子科技有限公司 | Resistance heating evaporation source |
KR20160035364A (en) * | 2014-09-23 | 2016-03-31 | 주식회사 선익시스템 | Evaporator source and apparatus for deposition having the same |
KR101622912B1 (en) * | 2014-12-18 | 2016-05-23 | 주식회사 선익시스템 | Thin Film Deposition Apparatus Capable of Minimizing Thermal Shock by Moving Position of Crucible |
CN104762601A (en) * | 2015-04-30 | 2015-07-08 | 京东方科技集团股份有限公司 | Evaporator source, evaporation device and evaporation method |
WO2017033053A1 (en) * | 2015-08-21 | 2017-03-02 | Flisom Ag | Homogeneous linear evaporation source |
CN105603365B (en) * | 2016-01-29 | 2018-07-10 | 深圳市华星光电技术有限公司 | Vacuum evaporation heating unit |
CN106244995A (en) * | 2016-09-21 | 2016-12-21 | 铜陵市铜创电子科技有限公司 | A kind of metallized film vacuum coater being provided with novel evaporation crucible |
CN106319453A (en) * | 2016-09-30 | 2017-01-11 | 铜陵市超越电子有限公司 | Wire feeding mechanism of vacuum film plating machine |
-
2018
- 2018-01-23 CN CN201880087606.XA patent/CN111655898A/en active Pending
- 2018-01-23 EP EP18701455.0A patent/EP3743539A1/en active Pending
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