CN112534564A

CN112534564A - Material deposition apparatus, vacuum deposition system and method for processing large area substrates

Info

Publication number: CN112534564A
Application number: CN201880096334.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 斯蒂芬·班格特; 于尔根·亨里奇; 安德里亚斯·索尔; 马蒂亚斯·赫曼尼斯; 塞巴斯蒂安·巩特尔·臧
Original assignee: Applied Materials Inc
Current assignee: Applied Materials Inc
Priority date: 2018-08-07
Filing date: 2018-08-07
Publication date: 2021-03-19
Also published as: TW202025535A; KR20210033529A; WO2020030252A1

Abstract

A material deposition apparatus for depositing material on a substrate in a vacuum chamber is described. The material deposition apparatus includes a mask transfer rail, at least a portion of which is disposed in the vacuum chamber, the mask transfer rail being assembled to support a mask carrier to support a mask assembly, the mask assembly having a mask frame and a mask; a mask stage assembled to support a mask assembly; and a support device coupled to the mask platform and configured for hand-off or transfer of the substantially vertically oriented mask assembly.

Description

Material deposition apparatus, vacuum deposition system and method for processing large area substrates

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to deposition apparatus for depositing one or more layers, particularly layers comprising organic materials, on a substrate. In particular, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to material deposition arrangements, vacuum deposition systems, and methods thereof for depositing evaporated material on a substrate in a vacuum deposition chamber, in particular for OLED manufacturing. Further, embodiments relate to adjusting a material deposition configuration.

Background

Organic vaporizers are tools for manufacturing Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs). An OLED is a form of light emitting diode in which a light emitting layer includes a thin film of a specific organic compound. Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) are used to manufacture television screens, computer screens, mobile phones, other handheld devices, etc. to display information. OLEDs can also be used for general space illumination. The range of feasible colors, brightness, and viewing angles for OLED displays is greater than that of conventional LCD displays because the OLED pixels emit light directly and do not include a backlight. Therefore, the energy loss of the OLED display is considerably less compared to that of the conventional LCD display. Furthermore, OLEDs that can be fabricated on flexible substrates yield other applications.

For the fabrication of rgb oled displays, several layers, for example layers comprising organic materials, are deposited on a substrate using a pixel mask. The pixel mask provides openings having the dimensions of the pixels of the display. Especially for large area substrates, mask alignment with respect to the substrate is very challenging. After deposition of several substrates, for example 20 to 50 substrates, the mask is replaced for maintenance and/or cleaning. To perform mask replacement, the mask is supported by a mask carrier. The mask carrier supports the mask during deposition and also transports the mask in the manufacturing system. For example, the mask may be transferred from the deposition chamber to the mask cleaning chamber, and vice versa.

The pixel mask, which is typically fabricated in a horizontal position, is, for example, a precision metal mask (FFM). Substrate processing systems having vertical or substantially vertical substrates in the system may reduce the footprint for large area substrates and increase substrate size. However, changing the orientation of the mask carrier supporting the mask from a horizontal manufacturing position to a vertical position may result in a degradation of pixel accuracy. Furthermore, the mask carrier for transferring the mask advantageously has a design that provides a compromise between transferring the mask and supporting the mask during deposition in the substrate processing system.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, a material deposition apparatus, a vacuum processing system, and a method for processing a substrate are provided. The substrate is in particular a vertically oriented large area substrate.

According to one aspect, a material deposition apparatus for depositing a material on a substrate in a vacuum chamber is presented. This material deposition apparatus includes: a mask transfer rail, at least a portion of which is disposed in the vacuum chamber, the mask transfer rail being configured to support a mask carrier to support a mask assembly, the mask assembly having a mask frame and a mask; a mask stage assembled to support a mask assembly; and a support device coupled to the mask platform and configured for hand-off or transfer of the substantially vertically oriented mask assembly.

According to another aspect, a vacuum processing system is provided. Such a system includes a material deposition apparatus according to any of the embodiments described herein; and an other vacuum chamber coupled to the vacuum chamber of the material deposition apparatus through a first valve disposed at a first side of the vacuum chamber. For example, such a material deposition apparatus may include: a mask transfer rail, at least a portion of which is disposed in the vacuum chamber, the mask transfer rail being configured to support a mask carrier to support a mask assembly, the mask assembly having a mask frame and a mask; a mask stage assembled to support a mask assembly; and a support device coupled to the mask platform and configured for hand-off or transfer of the substantially vertically oriented mask assembly.

According to another aspect, a method for processing a vertically oriented large area substrate. The method includes transporting a mask assembly on a mask carrier in a vertical orientation in a vacuum chamber of a material deposition assembly, the mask assembly including a mask frame and a mask; and handing over or transferring the mask assembly from the mask carrier to the mask stage in a vertical orientation. Furthermore, according to some embodiments, the mask carrier may be removed from the vacuum chamber prior to processing, for example, for substrate processing.

Drawings

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments. The accompanying drawings relate to embodiments of the disclosure and are described below:

FIG. 1 depicts a schematic view of a vacuum deposition system according to embodiments described herein;

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate a schematic view of a portion of a process of substrate handling and mask handling in a material deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIGS. 3A-3C show schematic diagrams of a handoff of a mask assembly having a mask frame and a mask from a mask carrier to the mask platform shown in FIG. 4B;

FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate schematic views of other portions of a process of handling a substrate and mask handling in a material deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 depicts a schematic view of the alignment of the mask assembly shown in FIG. 4B with a mask frame and a mask;

FIGS. 6A-6E illustrate a schematic view of yet another portion of a process of substrate handling and mask handling in a material deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 depicts a side view of a material deposition arrangement having a support and a deposition source facing a mask shield and a mask stage according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 8 depicts a flow diagram of a method of processing a large area substrate in a vertical orientation, i.e., a substantially vertical orientation, according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 9 depicts a schematic view illustrating a mask stage supporting a mask assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a mask stage according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to the several embodiments, one or more examples of which are illustrated in each figure. The examples are provided by way of illustration and are not meant as limitations. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used on or in conjunction with any other embodiment to yield yet a further embodiment. It is intended that the present disclosure include such modifications and variations.

In the following description of the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to refer to the same or like elements. In general, only the differences with respect to the individual embodiments will be described. Unless specifically stated otherwise, descriptions of a portion or aspect of one embodiment may also apply to a corresponding portion or aspect of another embodiment.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a material deposition apparatus, a vacuum processing system, and a method of processing a substrate, in particular a large area substrate in a vertical orientation, wherein a mask assembly having a mask supported by a mask frame is handed over or transferred from a mask carrier to a mask stage of a deposition location.

In view of the above, the mask assembly is supported by the mask stage during deposition. The mask stage may be stationary in the material deposition apparatus, and may thus be heavy, solid (solid), rigid, and/or have low tolerances. Therefore, a mask carrier that is also designed to be transported in a vacuum processing system does not result in large tolerances in mask alignment.

Additionally or alternatively, the mask carrier may advantageously be constructed even less heavy and less sturdy than a mask carrier supporting the mask assembly during deposition. This reduces the cost of ownership of the vacuum processing system because the number of mask stages is less than the number of mask carriers in the vacuum processing system in accordance with the concepts of the embodiments described herein.

According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, a mask carrier can be provided. The mask carrier may include at least a portion that blocks the substrate during deposition and may be configured for vertical transport of the mask carrier. For example, the mask carrier may be a solid plate with no openings or with an opening size of 50% or less of the corresponding substrate size. A mask carrier may be included in a material deposition apparatus in embodiments according to the present disclosure. According to yet another embodiment, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, a method of processing a substrate includes vertically transporting a mask assembly on a mask carrier in a vacuum chamber; vertically handing off the mask assembly from the mask carrier to a mask stage, such as a fixed mask stage; conveying the mask carrier out of the vacuum chamber; and processing the substrate after the mask assembly is supported on the mask stage and the mask carrier has been transferred out of the vacuum chamber.

Some embodiments described herein provide a material deposition apparatus for depositing material on a substrate in a vacuum chamber. The material deposition apparatus includes a mask transfer rail, at least a portion of which is disposed in the vacuum chamber, the mask transfer rail being assembled to support a mask carrier to support a mask assembly, the mask assembly having a mask frame and a mask; a mask stage assembled to support a mask assembly; and a support device coupled to the mask platform and configured for hand-off or transfer of the substantially vertically oriented mask assembly.

Fig. 1 shows a top view of a deposition apparatus 100 for depositing an evaporated material on two or more substrates, such as a substrate 130 on the right-hand side of fig. 1 and other substrates 130 on the left-hand side of fig. 1. The deposition apparatus 100 includes a vacuum chamber 102. A material deposition arrangement 120 is disposed in vacuum chamber 102, material deposition arrangement 120 being exemplified by a deposition source according to any of the embodiments described herein. First and second deposition zones, which may be on opposite sides of the deposition source, are disposed in the vacuum chamber 102. The substrate 130 may be disposed in a first deposition region, and the other substrates 130 may be disposed in a second deposition region.

In the present disclosure, a "material deposition configuration" may be understood as a configuration configured for depositing material on a substrate as described herein. In particular, a "material deposition configuration" may be understood as a configuration assembled for depositing organic material, for example for OLED display manufacturing, on a large area substrate. For example, a "large area substrate" may have a major surface with a thickness of 0.5m²Or larger, in particular 1m²Or a larger area. In some embodiments, the large area substrate may be a generation 4.5, a generation 5, a generation 7.5, a generation 8.5, or even a generation 10. Generation 4.5 corresponds to about 0.67m²Substrate (0.73m x 0.92.92 m), generation 5 corresponds to about 1.4m²Substrate (1.1m x 1.3.3 m), generation 7.5 corresponds to about 4.29m²Substrate (1.95m x 2.2.2 m), generation 8.5 corresponds to about 5.7m²Substrate (2.2m x 2.5.5 m), generation 10 corresponds to about 8.7m²Substrate (2.85m x 3.05.05 m). Even higher generations, such as 11 th and 12 th generations, and corresponding substrate areas may be applied in a similar manner. For example, for OLED display manufacturing, half the size of the above-described substrate generation including generation 6 may be coated by evaporation with an apparatus to evaporate the material. A half size of a substrate generation may result from some processes performed on a full substrate size, and subsequent fabrication of a previously processed half substrate.

For example, the substrate may be made of a material selected from the group consisting of glass (e.g., soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, etc.), metal, polymer, ceramic, compound material, carbon fiber material, or any other material or combination of materials that may be coated by a deposition process.

In the present disclosure, a "vacuum deposition chamber" may be understood as a chamber configured for vacuum deposition. The designation "vacuum" as used herein is understood to mean a technical vacuum having a vacuum pressure of less than, for example, 10 mbar. Generally, hereinThe pressure in the vacuum chamber described herein may be 10^-5mbar and about 10^-8Between mbar, more typically 10mbar^-5mbar and 10^-7mbar, and even more typically about 10^-6mbar and about 10^-7mbar.

In some embodiments, the material deposition arrangement 120 may be configured to move through the first deposition area and the second deposition area sequentially. The first deposition area is used to coat a substrate 130. The second deposition area is used to coat the opposite second substrate 130. The substrate may have a substantially vertical orientation. For example, the substrates may be supported in a substantially vertical orientation by substrate carriers, wherein the substrate carriers may be configured for carrying the substrates through the vacuum chamber 102. The substrate carrier may be supported by the substrate carrier support in a vacuum chamber, particularly in a vacuum processing system, for example, as the substrate is moved from one material deposition apparatus to another and within the material deposition apparatus. For example, the substrate carrier support may be a magnetic levitation system for a substrate carrier.

The carrier or substrate carrier may be equipped for supporting the substrate in a non-horizontal orientation, in particular in a substantially vertical orientation or a vertical orientation. As used herein, "substantially vertically oriented" or "vertically oriented" may be understood as an orientation in which the angle between the main surface of the substrate carrier and the gravity vector is between +10 ° and-10 °, in particular between 5 ° and-5 °. In some embodiments, the orientation of the substrate carrier may not be (exactly) vertical during transport and/or during deposition, but is slightly inclined with respect to the vertical axis, for example by an inclination angle between 0 ° and-5 °, in particular an inclination angle between-1 ° and-5 °. A negative angle means a substrate carrier in which the substrate carrier is inclined downwards, that is to say the substrate surface to be processed is oriented downwards. An orientation of the mask and the substrate that deviates from the gravity vector during deposition may be advantageous and may result in a more stable deposition process, or a face-down orientation may be suitable for reducing particles on the substrate during deposition. However, an exact vertical orientation (+/-1 °) of the mask arrangement is also possible during transport and/or during deposition. Accordingly, references to a vertical orientation in the specification or claims may be understood to have a substantially vertical orientation (e.g., + -10 ° or less) as defined herein. The exact vertical orientation is described in the direction of gravity or by using the name "exact" or the like.

In some embodiments, mask assembly 140 may be disposed in front of substrate 130, i.e., between substrate 130 and material deposition arrangement 120, during deposition. The material deposition arrangement 120 is exemplified as a deposition source. For example, mask component 140 may be a precision metal mask having an opening pattern configured for depositing a complementary material pattern on a substrate. Alternatively, the mask may be an edge exclusion mask.

According to embodiments described herein, material deposition utilizing a patterned mask, such as a precision metal mask (FFM), may be provided on a large area substrate. Thus, the size of the area where the material is to be deposited is exemplified by 1.4m²Or more. Again, the patterned mask generated for the pixels of the display is provided with a pattern in the micrometer range, for example. The positioning tolerances of the openings of the patterned mask in the micrometer range can be challenging over large areas. This is particularly true for vertically or substantially vertically oriented substrates. Even gravity acting on the patterned mask and/or the individual frames of the patterned mask may result in a degradation of the positioning accuracy of the patterned mask. Accordingly, improved mask assembly processing according to embodiments of the present disclosure has advantages, particularly for vertically or substantially vertically oriented large area substrates.

During deposition on other substrates, a second mask assembly 140 may be disposed in front of other substrates 130, i.e., between the other substrates and material deposition arrangement 120, material deposition arrangement 120 being exemplified as a deposition source. As described with respect to fig. 7, the material deposition source configuration can be rotated (see axis 706) to sequentially deposit on a first substrate in a first deposition region and a second substrate in an opposing second deposition region 202. To deposit material on the substrate, the material deposition arrangement may be moved along arrow H.

In some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the material deposition source can include one or more evaporation crucibles 124 and one or more distribution pipes 122 each in fluid communication with one of the evaporation crucibles 124. The one or more evaporation crucibles 124 are, for example, three evaporation crucibles. The one or more distribution pipes 122 are, for example, three distribution pipes. The distribution pipes may extend substantially parallel to each other in a substantially vertical direction. The nozzle may be provided in the distribution pipe along the length direction of the distribution pipe. For example, ten, thirty or more nozzles may be provided in the front wall 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 with respect to each other such that the individual plumes of evaporated material meet at the location of the substrate. Applying the material deposition arrangement 120 according to embodiments described herein may facilitate high quality display manufacturing, in particular OLED manufacturing.

According to embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the material deposition arrangement 120 can be disposed on a source track, which is for example a straight guide. The source track 170 may be equipped for translational movement of the material deposition assembly 120, for example in a horizontal direction as indicated by arrow H in fig. 1.

In some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, a first deposition zone can be provided opposite a second deposition zone in the vacuum chamber 102. In some embodiments, the material deposition source may be rotated from the first deposition region to the second deposition region by an angle of substantially 180 °.

According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the length of the distribution pipe may correspond to the height of the substrate on which the material is to be deposited. Alternatively, the length of the distribution pipe may be longer than the height of the base plate. Accordingly, uniform deposition of the upper end of the substrate and/or the lower end of the substrate may be provided. For example, the length of the distribution pipe may be 1.3m or more, for example 2.5m or more.

According to embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the crucible 124, i.e. the evaporation crucible, can be arranged at the lower end of the distribution pipe. The material may be evaporated in an evaporation crucible, such as an organic material. The evaporation material may enter the distribution pipe at the bottom of the distribution pipe and may be directed substantially laterally through a plurality of nozzles in the distribution pipe, e.g. towards a substantially vertically oriented substrate.

According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, a valve 104, such as a gate valve, may be provided to provide a vacuum seal with the adjacent vacuum chamber 110. The adjacent vacuum chambers 110 are exemplified as rotating chambers. The valve 104 may be opened for transferring substrates or masks into the vacuum chamber 102 or out of the vacuum chamber 102. The substrate and/or mask assembly may be rotated about an axis in the vacuum chamber 110, as indicated by arrow 111. For example, the axis of rotation may be a vertical axis of rotation. Other valves 104, such as gate valves, may be provided on opposite sides of the vacuum chamber 102, according to other additional or alternative applications. This other valve may be opened to transfer the reticle shield to or from the vacuum chamber 102, for example, along the transfer rail 162.

Figure 1 illustrates a substrate 130 disposed and/or transferred on a substrate transfer track 132 and a mask assembly 140 disposed and/or transferred on a mask transfer track 142. The substrate transfer rail 132 and the mask transfer rail 142 may be disposed on both sides of the material deposition assembly 120. A mask stage 150 is disposed between the mask transfer rail and the material deposition assembly. According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the mask stage is stationary in the vacuum chamber 102, i.e. in the material deposition apparatus. The mask stage is generally configured to support the mask assembly during deposition of materials on the substrate, or during processing of the substrate. Furthermore, FIG. 1 illustrates a mask shield 160 disposed between the mask platform and the material deposition assembly 120.

As described above, the mask stage 150 can be stationary in the vacuum chamber 102 of the material deposition apparatus 100. Thus, there are no limitations associated with a mask stage that can be transported through a vacuum processing system. The mask stage may be a heavy, rigid structure with openings. Material evaporated from the material deposition arrangement 120 towards the substrate 130 may pass through the openings and through the pattern in the mask to provide a patterned layer on the substrate. According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the mask stage can be a frame.

The surface or plane defined by the frame of the mask stage 150 may have a flatness of 200 μm or less, for example, a flatness of 50 to 100 μm. According to other additional or alternative adjustments, the mask frame may comprise a ceramic material. Ceramic materials can contribute to good surface quality. Further, the mask frame may include a metal such as stainless steel or titanium, or a metal covered with a titanium layer. The thickness of the mask frame may be 50mm or less, for example 25mm or less. Since the mask frame is stationary in vacuum chamber 102, the design may be optimized for loading tolerances when supporting a mask assembly having the mask frame and mask. The mask carrier that transports mask assembly 140 along mask transport track 142 to and from vacuum chamber 102 may be a lighter structure. Furthermore, according to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, a mask carrier used in the material deposition apparatus 100 and methods for processing large area substrates according to embodiments of the present disclosure can be a structure without openings to expose a mask during deposition. The mask carrier may transport mask assembly 140 into vacuum chamber 102; supporting the mask assembly during handoff or transfer to a mask platform; and out of the vacuum chamber 102 to deposit material on the substrate. Therefore, during substrate processing, the mask carrier is not disposed in the vacuum chamber.

Embodiments of the present disclosure avoid mask carriers having larger tolerances, such as tolerances from carrier to carrier, to support the mask during processing of the substrate. A mask stage according to embodiments of the present disclosure may provide uniform support of a mask frame, thereby increasing patterning quality and/or improving patterning repeatability. The improved patterning repeatability provides better device patterning and reduces the limitation on pixel density (ppi) resolution. Since the mask stage 150 is a rigid and more precise structure, repeatable positioning of the mask frame in the processing chamber is possible for vertically oriented large area substrates. Thus, embodiments that hand off or transfer a substantially vertically oriented mask frame from a mask carrier to a mask stage reduce possible drawbacks of vertical substrate processing. A substantially vertical orientation is that which includes a deviation of + -10 deg. from vertical. Uniform support of the mask frame with repeatable mask frame positioning and thus repeatable patterning can be provided.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, a material deposition arrangement may be provided for depositing a material layer on a substrate, wherein a patterned mask, such as a precision metal mask (FMM), is arranged between the material deposition arrangement and the substrate. A patterned mask, such as an FMM, may provide pixel resolution for the display. Thus, the openings in the patterned mask may have dimensions of, and be positioned with tolerances of, a few microns. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a fixed mask stage may be exemplified as being advantageously applied to vertical substrate processing using a vertical line source. Improved mask frame positioning facilitates vertical substrate orientation and vertical orientation of the patterned mask during substrate processing. Mask frame positioning in the micrometer range is very challenging for large area substrates.

Fig. 2A to 2C, 3A to 3C, 4A to 4C, 5 and 6A to 6E illustrate a process of substrate handling and mask handling in a material deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Furthermore, individual components of the material deposition apparatus and substrate processing system are shown. These elements are disposed in a vacuum chamber 102 (see FIG. 1) that is not shown in FIG. 2A.

Fig. 2A illustrates a substrate transfer track 132. The substrate transfer track may include a substrate support device 232. The substrate support apparatus may be a magnetic levitation system, for example, to support the substrate carrier 230 in a non-contact manner, the substrate carrier 230 supporting the substrate 130. The substrate transfer track may further include a substrate driving device 233. The substrate driving device may be a magnetic driver, for example, to drive the substrate in a non-contact manner. For example, the substrate may be moved along the x-direction shown in fig. 2A. Figure 2A illustrates a substrate transport track having a substrate support device above a substrate carrier and a substrate drive device below the substrate carrier. According to an alternative embodiment, the substrate support apparatus and the substrate drive apparatus may both be located above the substrate carrier 230.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrate carrier 230 may be an electrostatic chuck (electrostatic chuck) or a magnetic chuck. For example, the electrostatic chuck may include an electrode. A bias voltage may be applied to the electrodes to generate an electrostatic force to clamp the substrate 130 to the substrate carrier 230. The substrate transfer track 132 may further include one or more lateral guides 235. According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the lateral guidance device can comprise a permanent magnet. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the lateral guide 235 of the substrate transport track 132 may be disposed at one side of the substrate carrier position. This side may be the side opposite the deposition source. That is, the one or more lateral guides 235 may be positioned such that the substrate carrier 230 is disposed between the lateral guides and the deposition source.

The mask transfer rail 142 may include a mask supporting device 245 and a mask driving device 243. The mask supporting device and the mask driving device may have features similar to those described above with respect to the substrate transfer rail 132. According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the distance between the mask supporting means 245 and the mask driving means 243 may be equal to or larger than the corresponding distance between the substrate supporting means and the substrate driving means, in particular the distance between the mask supporting means 245 and the mask driving means 243 in the y-direction as shown in fig. 2A may be equal to or larger than the corresponding distance between the substrate supporting means and the substrate driving means. Thus, the substrate carrier 230 may be moved in the z-direction towards the mask stage 150, i.e. towards a stationary mask stage.

Fig. 2A depicts a mask carrier 244. The mask carrier 244 may be a lighter structure than a deposition apparatus in which the mask assembly is supported by the mask carrier during substrate processing. This is advantageous for conveying the mask on the mask conveying rail 142, and particularly, for conveying the mask in a floating state on the mask conveying rail 142. According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the mask carrier can have one or more portions that cover a plurality of pixels of the mask 242. Thus, the one or more portions of the pixels covering the mask may prevent complete deposition of the substrate 130 through the mask carrier. These portions may be advantageously configured to increase the stability of the mask carrier 244 while providing similar structure. Since the mask carrier may be removed for substrate processing, the pixel covering the mask and/or the one or more portions that may block the evaporated material do not negatively affect the coating of the substrate 130.

The mask transfer rail 142 may further include one or more lateral guides 247. According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the lateral guidance device can comprise a permanent magnet. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the lateral guide 247 of the mask transport rail 142 can be arranged at one side of the mask carrier position. This side may be the side facing the deposition source. That is, the one or more lateral guides 247 of the mask transfer rail may be positioned such that the one or more lateral guides are disposed between the mask transfer rail and the deposition source.

In fig. 2A, a possible scenario is shown in which mask carrier 244 supports mask assembly 140 at an x-position corresponding to a substrate processing state. Mask assembly 140 has been moved into a vacuum chamber (see reference numeral 102 in figure 1) of the material deposition apparatus. The mask assembly includes a mask frame 240, and the mask frame 240 supports a mask 242. Mask 242 may generally be a precision metal mask, such as used to create pixels for an OLED (RGB) display.

According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the mask frame 240 can have a curved profile, as shown in fig. 2A. The curved profile may provide a concave shape when viewed from the deposition source or a convex shape when viewed from the substrate. The curved profile allows the mask 242 to be closer to the substrate 130 than one or more portions of the mask frame 240. This is advantageous for bringing the mask 242 close to the substrate 130 or even into contact with the substrate 130 during deposition of material on the substrate.

The mask table 150 includes an opening 152 for allowing the evaporated material to pass through the opening toward the substrate. The openings are configured to avoid blocking the deposition material to the mask, i.e., for substrate processing. The mask stage is a fixed mask stage and may thus be optimized to support mask frame 240 and mask assembly 140, respectively. The improved support of the mask frame described above results in improved pixel accuracy for RGB material deposition. As shown in fig. 2A, the mask frame may further support a mask shield 160 according to some alternative embodiments. Mask blank 160 may have a first portion, such as a sheet metal portion, that is parallel to mask assembly 140. The first portion may cover the mask platform and reduce an accumulation of evaporated material on the mask platform. The mask blank 160 may further comprise a second portion protruding from the first portion, e.g. extending at least partially in the z-direction. The second portion of the mask blank 160 may reduce the accumulation of evaporated material on the sides of the mask platform, i.e., inside the openings 152 of the mask platform 150. The second portion of the mask shield can additionally or alternatively reduce the accumulation of evaporated material on the mask frame.

Hereinafter, a process of processing one or more substrates in a vacuum chamber using one or more mask assemblies is illustrated with reference to fig. 2A to 2C, 3A to 3C, 4A to 4C, 5, and 6A to 6E. The process description includes substrate handling and mask handling in a material deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In fig. 2A, mask assembly 140 and substrate 130 have been moved into a vacuum chamber of the material deposition apparatus. The substrate 130 may be supported by a substrate carrier 230, the substrate carrier 230 being an example of an electrostatic chuck. The mask assembly and substrate are positioned at an x-position corresponding to the opening 152 of the mask stage 150. In fig. 2B, the mask assembly has been moved in the z-direction towards the mask stage 150. For example, the mask assembly may be moved by the lateral guide 247 and/or another actuator.

In the position shown in fig. 2B, a handoff of the mask frame and thus the mask assembly is provided between the mask carrier 244 and the mask platform 150. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, handover means, for example, transfer from a mask carrier to a mask stage, or vice versa. The handoff or transfer may be provided by actuation and/or movement of the mask assembly, starting with the support of the mask assembly by one of the two elements (e.g., mask carrier and mask platform), and ending with the support of the mask assembly by the other of the two elements.

This will be described in more detail with reference to fig. 3A, 3B and 3C. In fig. 3A, a first support device 350 coupled to a mask carrier 244 supports a mask frame 240. This is shown as an increase in the size of the first support means 350 in figure 3A. The second support 352 is coupled to the mask stage 150. The second support 352 is in the rest position of fig. 3A. This is illustrated as a reduction in the size of the second support 352 in fig. 3A. According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the support device coupled to the mask stage includes at least one of an electromagnet and an electro-permanent magnet, i.e., the second support device in fig. 3A-3C.

According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, first and

second support devices

350, 352 can be electromagnets. In particular, the first and second support means may be electro-permanent magnets. An electro-permanent magnet provides a supporting force without the need to supply an electric current and is advantageous over an electromagnet. For an electro-permanent magnet, the bearing force can be opened and closed. Providing current to the electro-permanent magnet provides switching between a supporting state and a releasing state. In the supporting state, the supporting force is switched on. In the released state, the bearing force is closed. The electro-permanent magnet is maintained in the present state without the supply of current. Therefore, the mask frame can be stably supported by the supporting device including the electro-permanent magnet, for example, without having a power supply connected to the supporting device.

In fig. 3B, the bearing force of the first bearing means 350 decreases when the bearing force of the second bearing means 352 increases. This is illustrated as a change in the dimensions of the individual support devices in fig. 3B as compared to fig. 3A. In fig. 3C, the mask frame 240 is supported by a second support 352. The first support means 350 is closed. Thus, a hand-off or transfer from the mask carrier 244 to the mask frame of the mask stage 150 may be provided. According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the handover or transport may also be provided by a mechanical support device.

In fig. 2C, the mask carrier 244 has been moved back along the z-direction toward the mask transport track 142. Mask assembly 140 is supported and/or held in a z position by a mask stage. The process of processing one or more substrates in a vacuum chamber using, for example, one or more mask assemblies, continues as illustrated in fig. 4A-4C, 5, and 6A-6E and described with reference to fig. 4A-4C, 5, and 6A-6E. In fig. 4A, the mask carrier has been moved away from the vacuum chamber, for example, along the x-direction, i.e. along the mask transport track. In fig. 4B, the substrate carrier 230 supporting the substrate has moved toward the mask assembly, that is, has moved in the z direction in fig. 4B. The substrate carrier may be moved in the z-direction such that the substrate 130 is at a small distance from the mask of the mask assembly. In this position, the alignment actuator 550 depicted in FIG. 5 can align the substrate and mask relative to each other. In fig. 4C, material is deposited by material deposition assembly 120. The evaporation material is coated on the substrate 130 through the openings 152 of the mask stage 150 and the openings of the mask assembly.

In fig. 6A, the processed substrate is depicted after the substrate carrier has moved back to the substrate transfer track, i.e. along the z-direction in the figure. The processed substrate is moved out of the vacuum chamber, i.e., in the x-direction in the figure, as shown in fig. 6B. The next successive substrate to be processed is moved into the vacuum chamber, i.e., along the x-direction in the figure, as shown in fig. 6C. After the substrate has been moved towards the mask assembly, i.e. in the z-direction, a layer of material is coated on the subsequent substrate using the material deposition assembly 120 (see fig. 6D). FIG. 6E depicts yet another state of the processing sequence. For this further state of the processing sequence, successive substrates have been moved back to the substrate transport track and the mask carrier has entered the vacuum chamber to receive the mask assembly from the mask stage.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, several substrates may be processed using one mask assembly. The number of the substrates is 10 or more, for example, 20 to 70 substrates. After these substrates have been processed, material build-up on the mask assembly during deposition of these substrates, particularly at the openings of precision metal masks, leads to general cleaning and maintenance procedures for the mask assembly. As shown in fig. 6E, the mask carrier may receive the mask assembly from the mask platform through a handover or transfer process, however, in a reverse procedure compared to the handover or transfer process described with reference to fig. 3A, 3B, and 3C. The processed substrate and used mask assembly shown in figure 6E may be removed from the vacuum chamber. The processed substrate and used mask assembly may advantageously be removed simultaneously to reduce the cycle time of the vacuum processing system. Thereafter, additional successive substrates and new masks may enter the vacuum chamber and the process may continue in the state shown in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 7 illustrates a material deposition arrangement 120. The material deposition arrangement includes two or more deposition sources. Each deposition source (one deposition source is shown in cross-section in fig. 7) may include a crucible 124, a distribution assembly 122, and a respective opening 722, such as a nozzle. The distribution assembly 122 is utilized to direct the vaporized material in the crucible 124 through the opening 722 into a vacuum chamber (such as the vacuum chamber 102 shown in fig. 1). For example, the vaporized material may be directed toward the substrate 130. The evaporation direction may be horizontal or slightly inclined upwards with respect to the horizontal orientation, as shown in fig. 7, the evaporation direction may be inclined by 0 ° to 10 °.

According to some embodiments, the two or more evaporation sources may be fixed to an evaporator control housing 705, the evaporator control housing 705 being exemplified by an atmospheric box. The evaporator control housing can be connected to the outside of the vacuum chamber in which the material deposition arrangement operates.

The two or more evaporation sources may be supported by a support 710 for a material deposition configuration. The support may be equipped for translational movement of the material deposition arrangement (see arrow H in fig. 1). The support may provide a housing for the active and/or passive magnetic elements. Active and/or passive magnetic elements may be provided for magnetic levitation and/or magnetic drive of the material deposition arrangement. For example, referring to fig. 7, the translational motion of the material deposition arrangement may be perpendicular to the paper of fig. 7. Further, fig. 7 illustrates a shaped shutter arrangement 724.

In the present disclosure, a "material deposition source" may be understood as a device or component that is equipped for providing a source of material to be deposited on a substrate. In particular, a "material deposition source" may be understood as a device or component having a crucible configured to evaporate a material to be deposited, and a distribution component configured for providing the evaporated material to a substrate. The expression "distribution assembly equipped for providing an evaporated material to a substrate" may be understood as a distribution assembly equipped for guiding a gaseous source material in a deposition direction. Thus, the gaseous source material, such as the material used to deposit the thin films of the OLED device, is directed within the distribution assembly and exits the distribution assembly through one or more outlets or openings 722. For example, the one or more outlets of the distribution assembly, such as a distribution pipe, may be nozzles extending in the evaporation direction. Generally, the direction of evaporation is substantially horizontal, for example the horizontal direction may correspond to the z-direction shown in fig. 2A. According to typical embodiments, it may be advantageous to have a slight deviation from the horizontal, for example 15 ° or less, for example 7 ° or less, to have a slight deviation from the vertical in the substrate orientation.

In the present disclosure, "crucible" may be understood as a device having a reservoir for storing a material to be evaporated by heating the crucible. Thus, a "crucible" can be understood to be a source material reservoir that can be heated to vaporize a source material into a gas by at least one of vaporizing and sublimating the source material. Generally, the crucible includes a heater to vaporize the source material in the crucible into a gaseous source material. For example, the material to be vaporized may initially be in powder form. The reservoir may have an interior volume for containing a source material, such as an organic material, to be vaporized.

In the present disclosure, a "distribution assembly" may be understood as an assembly configured for providing an evaporated material from the distribution assembly, in particular providing a plume of the evaporated material to a substrate. For example, the distribution assembly may comprise a distribution pipe, which may have an elongated shape. For example, the distribution pipe described herein may provide a line source using a number of apertures and/or nozzles arranged in at least one line along the length of the distribution pipe. Thus, the distribution element may be a straight distribution showerhead, such as having a plurality of openings (or elongated slots) disposed therein. As understood herein, a showerhead may have a housing, hollow space, or tube, and the evaporation material may be provided or directed from an evaporation crucible to a substrate, for example, in the housing, hollow space, or tube. The showerhead may provide a higher pressure inside the hollow space than outside the hollow space, for example, an order of magnitude or more.

According to embodiments, which can be combined with any other embodiments described herein, the length of the distribution pipe may at least correspond 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 1.3m or more, for example 2.5m or more. Accordingly, uniform deposition may be provided at the upper end of the substrate and/or the lower end of the substrate. According to an alternative arrangement, the distribution assembly may comprise one or more point sources, which may be configured along a vertical axis.

As shown in fig. 7, the substrate is configured to be deposited by the material evaporation assembly 120. A mask arrangement 140, such as a mask stage to which the mask stage is fixed, and a mask shield 160 may be disposed between the substrate 130 and the material evaporation assembly 120.

According to some embodiments, methods are presented for processing vertically oriented large area substrates. Fig. 8 shows a corresponding flow chart. The method shown in fig. 8 includes (see for example block 802) transporting a mask assembly on a mask carrier in a vertical orientation in a vacuum chamber of a material deposition assembly, the mask assembly including a mask frame and a mask. Corresponding to block 804, the method includes handing over or transferring the mask assembly in a vertical orientation from the mask carrier to a mask stage. According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the mask stage can be stationary in the vacuum chamber (see, for example, vacuum chamber 102 in fig. 1).

As shown in block 806, the handing-over may include synchronizing a first current of a first support device coupled to the mask carrier, the first support device including at least one first electromagnet or at least one first electro-permanent magnet, and a second current of a second support device coupled to the mask stage, the second support device including at least one second electromagnet or at least one second electro-permanent magnet.

Figure 9 illustrates a mask platform 150 supporting mask assembly 140. The mask stage 150 has openings such that deposition material originating from the material deposition assembly may be directed to the mask of the mask assembly without being blocked. This is indicated by arrow 902. According to yet another embodiment, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the mask stage can further comprise a temperature control element 950. The temperature control element 950 depicted in fig. 9 may be applied as an additional optional feature for the mask stage described in the present disclosure. For example, the temperature control element may be a number of cooling channels provided in or at the mask stage. These cooling channels may be configured to cool the mask stage. Cooling the mask stage may facilitate temperature control of the mask frame and/or the mask, i.e., temperature control of the mask assembly. The thermal radiation and/or heat energy provided by the evaporation process (enthalpy of vaporization) may increase the temperature of the mask and/or the mask frame during deposition of the material on the substrate. Temperature variations of the mask assembly may be detrimental to mask alignment accuracy. Thus, it may be advantageous to exemplify a temperature control element comprising cooling channels or other cooling elements, in particular for large area substrates for RGB OLED display manufacturing. Other cooling elements are for example piezoelectric elements.

Fig. 10 depicts further details of a mask stage CL that may optionally be combined with other embodiments of the mask stage described herein. The mask stage 150 includes an opening 152. The support 352 coupled to the mask table 150 may at least partially surround the opening 152. The support means may comprise one or more linear portions, for example linear portions extending along the periphery of the opening 152 of the mask table 150. Having a support 352 surrounding the aperture 152 and/or providing a support to include line shaped portions may improve the support characteristics of the mask platform 150 relative to the mask assembly 140, particularly the mask platform 150 relative to the mask frame.

For example, the opening 152 may have a rectangular shape. The one or more linear portions may extend at least partially along the rectangle formed by the opening 152, such as two, three, or four linear portions. Thus, the mask frame may be supported at least 70%, preferably at least 90%, of the perimeter of the mask frame, which is also rectangular, for example. Accordingly, the entire mask frame may be uniformly and/or evenly supported by the mask stage 150. Due to the uniformity of the mask frame, bulging (bumping) of the mask assembly may be reduced or avoided. Distortion of the mask can be reduced.

Fig. 10 illustrates an alternative or additional adjustment of the mask stage 150. As described above, the mask stage is equipped for vertical or substantially vertical mask support and/or handoff in a vertical or substantially vertical mask orientation. The protrusions 960 may be disposed below the openings 152, i.e., the openings of the mask platform. The projections 960 may, for example, extend along a bottom side of the aperture 152. The opening may stop the downward movement of the mask assembly. Accordingly, the projections 960 may provide a hard stop (hard stop) for the mask assembly and/or may provide a safety feature to support the mask assembly in the event that the support 352 may not provide sufficient force to avoid movement of the mask assembly along the direction of gravity.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.

In particular, this written description uses examples to disclose the disclosure, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the subject matter, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. Although several specific embodiments have been disclosed in the foregoing, the non-mutually exclusive features of the embodiments described above may be combined with each other. The scope of a patent is defined by the claims, and other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if the claims have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if the claims include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.

Claims

1. A material deposition apparatus for depositing material on a substrate in a vacuum chamber, comprising:

a mask transport track, at least a portion of which is disposed in the vacuum chamber, the mask transport track being configured to support a mask carrier to support a mask assembly having a mask frame and a mask;

a mask stage assembled to support a mask assembly; and

a support device coupled to the mask platform and configured for hand-off or transfer of the substantially vertically oriented mask assembly.

2. The material deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mask stage is stationary in the vacuum chamber.

3. The material deposition apparatus of any of claims 1 to 2, wherein the mask stage has an opening configured to avoid blocking deposition material to the mask.

4. The material deposition apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the mask stage further comprises a temperature control element.

5. The material deposition apparatus of claim 4, wherein the temperature control element is a plurality of cooling channels to cool the mask stage.

6. The material deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the support means comprising at least two linear portions.

7. The material deposition apparatus of claim 6, wherein the line extends along a perimeter of the aperture in the mask platform.

8. The material deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the support device comprises at least one of a group of electromagnets and electro-permanent magnets.

9. The material deposition apparatus of any of claims 1 to 8, the mask stage further comprising a protrusion located below an aperture of the mask stage and configured to stop the mask component from moving beyond the protrusion along a direction of gravity.

10. The material deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the mask transfer rail comprising:

a mask support device for non-contact support of the mask carrier; and

a mask driving device for non-contact driving of the mask carrier.

11. The material deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising:

a substrate transfer track comprising:

a substrate support device for non-contact support of a substrate carrier; and

a substrate driving device for non-contact driving of the substrate carrier, wherein the mask transfer track is disposed between the substrate transfer track and the mask stage.

12. The material deposition apparatus of any of claims 1 to 11, further comprising:

other mask transfer rails;

other mask stages; and

a material deposition arrangement between the mask stage and the other mask stage.

13. A vacuum processing system, comprising:

the material deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12; and

a further vacuum chamber coupled to the vacuum chamber of the material deposition apparatus by a first valve disposed at a first side of the vacuum chamber.

14. The vacuum processing system of claim 13, further comprising: a second valve located on a second side opposite the first side, wherein the mask transport track extends into the other vacuum chamber, wherein the substrate transport track extends into the other vacuum chamber, and wherein a mask shield transport track extends for movement by the second valve.

15. A method for processing a vertically oriented large area substrate, comprising:

transporting a mask assembly on a mask carrier in a vertical orientation in a vacuum chamber of a material deposition assembly, the mask assembly comprising a mask frame and a mask; and

handing over or transferring the mask assembly in the vertical orientation from the mask carrier to the mask stage.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the mask stage is stationary in the vacuum chamber.

17. The method of any of claims 15 to 16, the handing over or transmitting comprising:

synchronizing a first current of a first support device coupled to the mask carrier and a second current of a second support device coupled to the mask stage, the first support device comprising at least a first electromagnet or at least a first electro-permanent magnet, the second support device comprising at least a second electromagnet or at least a second electro-permanent magnet.