CN219752417U

CN219752417U - Evaporation equipment

Info

Publication number: CN219752417U
Application number: CN202320948645.2U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 吴先浩; 岳晓
Original assignee: Chongqing Kangjia Optoelectronic Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Chongqing Kangjia Optoelectronic Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2023-04-23
Filing date: 2023-04-23
Publication date: 2023-09-26
Anticipated expiration: 2033-04-23

Abstract

The utility model relates to evaporation equipment which comprises a shell, a crucible and a crucible rotating mechanism, wherein the shell is provided with a vacuum chamber, the crucible is arranged in the vacuum chamber, one side of the shell is provided with a visual window for observing an opening of the crucible, and the crucible rotating mechanism is connected with the crucible to drive the crucible to rotate relative to the shell around a first axis parallel to the axial direction of the crucible. Above-mentioned evaporation equipment is through setting up the visual window to observe the melting condition of target material in the crucible, set up crucible rotary mechanism, with rotatory crucible, change the position of crucible around the relative visual window of first axis, thereby be convenient for observe the melting condition of the target material of different positions in the crucible through the visual window, and then can carry out the evaporation plating again after confirming the target material melting in the crucible completely. Therefore, the method is favorable for evaporating the target after the target is completely melted, and the fluctuation of plating rate caused by gaps among granular targets during evaporation is avoided.

Description

Evaporation equipment

Technical Field

The utility model relates to the field of display manufacturing equipment, in particular to evaporation equipment.

Background

Vacuum evaporation, abbreviated as evaporation, refers to a process method of evaporating a target material by a certain heating evaporation mode under vacuum condition and gasifying the target material, and enabling particles to fly to the surface of a substrate to form a film by condensation. For a metal particulate target, the vapor deposition process will melt the target prior to vapor deposition. For this reason, there is provided in the related art a vapor deposition apparatus that focuses an electron beam on a target surface by an electron gun to perform melting and vapor deposition processes on the target, respectively. However, the vapor deposition apparatus in the related art is prone to fluctuations in plating rate when vapor deposition is performed on the target material.

Therefore, how to reduce the plating rate fluctuation in the vapor deposition of the target material is a problem to be solved.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art, an object of the present utility model is to provide a vapor deposition apparatus, which aims to solve the problem of how to reduce the fluctuation of the plating rate when vapor deposition is performed on a target material.

An evaporation apparatus comprising:

a housing having a vacuum chamber;

the crucible is arranged in the vacuum chamber, and a visual window for observing an opening of the crucible is arranged on one side of the shell; and

and the crucible rotating mechanism is connected with the crucible to drive the crucible to rotate relative to the shell around a first axis parallel to the axial direction of the crucible.

Above-mentioned evaporation equipment is through setting up the visual window to observe the melting condition of target material in the crucible, set up crucible rotary mechanism, with rotatory crucible, change the position of crucible around the relative visual window of first axis, thereby be convenient for observe the melting condition of the target material of different positions in the crucible through the visual window, and then can carry out the evaporation plating again after confirming the target material melting in the crucible completely. Therefore, the method is favorable for evaporating the target after the target is completely melted, and the fluctuation of plating rate caused by gaps among granular targets during evaporation is avoided.

Optionally, a preset interval is arranged between the visual window and the opening of the crucible along the axial direction of the crucible, so that the melting condition of the target material in the crucible can be further conveniently observed through the visual window.

Optionally, the axial direction of the crucible is parallel to the surface of the side, away from the vacuum chamber, of the visual window, so that when the crucible rotating mechanism drives the crucible to rotate to different positions around the first axis, the interior of the crucible can be conveniently observed through the visual window.

Optionally, the evaporation device further comprises a carrier arranged in the vacuum chamber, wherein the carrier is used for accommodating the crucible;

the output end of the crucible rotating mechanism can penetrate into the carrying platform and is connected with the crucible, so that the crucible can be placed in the vacuum chamber more stably.

Optionally, the output end of the crucible rotating mechanism can move along the axial direction of the crucible relative to the carrier, so as to drive the crucible to move along the axial direction of the crucible relative to the carrier, so that at least part of the crucible protrudes out of the carrier along the axial direction of the crucible or is placed in the carrier, the crucible is conveniently taken and placed, the crucible or the carrier is prevented from being damaged due to the fact that the crucible is difficult to separate from the carrier when the crucible is taken and placed, and the phenomenon that a target material is deposited on the surface damage part of the crucible to form a film layer is avoided.

Optionally, the outer wall of one end of the crucible, which is away from the opening, is recessed into the crucible along the axial direction of the crucible to form a recessed portion, and the output end of the crucible rotating mechanism is used for being connected with the recessed portion.

Optionally, the crucible is equipped with on the periphery wall of open-ended one end follow the axial of crucible is protruding to be equipped with the bulge, the bulge is around the crucible the opening sets up to further improve the stability of getting and putting the crucible, can support with the bulge when using with instrument centre gripping crucible, thereby improved the stability when getting with the instrument and putting or transferring the crucible, avoid the crucible slope to lead to the target material to spill the pollution vacuum chamber from the crucible.

Optionally, the carrying platform is provided with a containing cavity for containing the crucible, the output end of the crucible rotating mechanism can penetrate into the carrying platform and extend into the containing cavity, a cavity wall of one end of the containing cavity, which is far away from the output end of the crucible rotating mechanism, is recessed towards one side, which is close to the carrying platform, of the crucible along the radial direction of the crucible so as to form a groove communicated with the containing cavity, the groove is matched with the protruding part, so that the crucible is positioned relative to the carrying platform through the matching of the groove and the protruding part, and when the crucible is placed in the carrying platform, whether the crucible is placed in place in the carrying platform can be confirmed by checking whether the protruding part of the crucible is matched with the groove, so that the crucible is prevented from inclining relative to the carrying platform due to foreign matters in the containing cavity.

Optionally, the crucible rotation mechanism is configured to be movable relative to the carrier in an axial direction of the crucible to cause the crucible rotation mechanism to support the crucible or to cause an output end of the crucible rotation mechanism to be separated from the crucible.

Optionally, the axis of the carrier and the first axis are parallel to each other and are arranged at intervals;

the number of the crucibles is multiple, and the crucibles are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction of the carrying platform;

the carrier is configured to rotate around the axis of the carrier relative to the shell so as to change the position of the crucible placed in the carrier relative to the shell, so that any crucible can rotate around the axis of the carrier to a preset position, and the target material in the crucible at the preset position is melted and evaporated.

Optionally, one side of the carrier for holding the crucible is further provided with at least one material placing cavity, all the material placing cavities and all the crucibles are distributed in a staggered manner along the circumferential direction of the carrier so as to hold the target material without adopting the crucible, thereby further improving the applicability of the evaporation equipment to various metal target material processes.

Optionally, the evaporation device further comprises an electron gun arranged in the vacuum chamber;

the electron gun is positioned at the outer side of the carrying platform, and is arranged at intervals along the direction vertical to the axial direction of the crucible and the output end of the crucible rotating mechanism, so that electron beams emitted by the electron gun are utilized to bombard target materials in the crucible, an evaporation process is carried out, the electron gun is arranged at the outer side of the carrying platform, the blocking of the electron beams by the carrying platform is avoided, and the electron gun is arranged at intervals along the direction vertical to the axial direction of the crucible and the output end of the crucible rotating mechanism, so that the electron beams are focused on the target materials at a preset position.

Optionally, the evaporation device further comprises a first shielding piece arranged in the vacuum chamber;

the first shielding piece is covered on one side of the carrying platform for accommodating the crucible, a first through hole for communicating with the opening of the crucible and a second through hole which is arranged opposite to the electron gun along the axial direction of the crucible are arranged on the first shielding piece, so that when the crucible comprises a plurality of targets in a single crucible and each time the targets in the single crucible are melted and evaporated, the openings of other crucibles can be shielded by the shielding piece, so that the targets in the other crucibles are prevented from being polluted, and due to the fact that the first through hole and the second through hole are respectively arranged on the shielding piece, when the targets in the single crucible are melted and evaporated, the electron beam of the electron gun is focused on the targets in the crucible through the second through hole and the first through hole, and the targets in the single crucible are melted or evaporated.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an evaporation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 2 is a partial schematic view of the vapor deposition apparatus of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an internal schematic view of the crucible in an initial position as viewed from a viewing window in the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an internal schematic view of the crucible in a first position, as viewed from a viewing window in the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the structure of the susceptor and crucible rotation mechanism of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a partial schematic view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the carrier and crucible rotation mechanism in an intermediate position;

FIG. 7 is a partial schematic view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the carrier and crucible rotation mechanism in an ejection position;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a structure of a crucible according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 9 is a partial schematic view of the carrier and crucible rotation mechanism of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a partial schematic view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the carrier and crucible rotation mechanism in a lowered position;

FIG. 11 is a top view of a stage according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

fig. 12 is a top view of the first shutter, carrier and electron gun of the embodiment of fig. 11.

Reference numerals illustrate:

100-evaporation equipment; 10-a housing; 11-a vacuum chamber; 111-a first space; 112-a second space; 12-visual window; 20-crucible; 21-opening; 22-a first side; 23-a second side; 24-dead zone; 25-visual area; 26-a depression; 27-a projection; 30-a crucible rotation mechanism; 31-an output; 40-carrying platform; 41-a receiving cavity; 42-grooves; 43-opening holes; 44-a material placing cavity; 50-a stage rotation mechanism; 60-electron gun; 70-plating pot; 80-a first shutter; 81-cover plate; 811-a second via; 812-mounting port; 82-volcanic vent; 821-first via; 90-a second shutter; 110-a support; a-a first axis.

Detailed Description

In order that the utility model may be readily understood, a more complete description of the utility model will be rendered by reference to the appended drawings. The drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the utility model. This utility model may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this utility model belongs. The terminology used herein in the description of the utility model is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the utility model.

Before vapor deposition is carried out on the metal granular target material, the melting treatment is needed, so that the target material newly placed in the crucible and the original target material in the crucible are integrated. Therefore, there is provided a deposition apparatus for depositing a target material by focusing the electron gun on the surface of the target material in the crucible to integrate the target material in the crucible and focusing the electron gun on the surface of the target material in the crucible. However, the above-described vapor deposition apparatus is prone to fluctuations in plating rate when vapor deposition is performed on a target material.

The inventors of the present utility model have studied to find that the above-mentioned problems occur because, in the related art, the target material in the crucible is not completely melted at the time of vapor deposition of the target material, and there is a gap between the granular target materials, thereby causing fluctuation in the plating rate at the time of vapor deposition.

Based on this, the present utility model is intended to provide a solution to the above technical problem, the details of which will be described in the following examples.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an evaporation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present utility model; fig. 2 is a partial schematic view of the vapor deposition apparatus in the embodiment shown in fig. 1.

Referring to fig. 1-2, an evaporation apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present utility model includes a housing 10, a crucible 20, and a crucible rotation mechanism 30.

The housing 10 has a vacuum chamber 11, the crucible 20 is provided in the vacuum chamber 11, and a viewing window 12 for viewing an opening 21 of the crucible 20 is provided on one side of the housing 10. The crucible rotation mechanism 30 is coupled to the crucible 20 to drive the crucible 20 to rotate relative to the housing 10 about a first axis a parallel to the axial direction of the crucible 20.

In the vapor deposition apparatus 100, a crucible 20 is provided to hold a target material, a housing 10 having a vacuum chamber 11 is provided, and the crucible 20 is provided in the vacuum chamber 11 to provide vacuum conditions for vapor deposition of the target material. By providing a view window 12 for viewing an opening 21 (see fig. 2) of the crucible 20 at one side of the housing 10, the melting condition of the target material in the crucible 20 can be observed from the view window 12 when the target material is melted. And because the crucible rotating mechanism 30 is connected with the crucible 20, the crucible 20 is driven to rotate relative to the shell 10 around the first axis a parallel to the axial direction of the crucible 20 by utilizing the crucible rotating mechanism 30, so that in the process of melting target materials, the crucible 20 can be driven to rotate by operating the crucible rotating mechanism 30, the position of the crucible 20 relative to the visible window 12 around the first axis a is changed, the melting conditions of the target materials at different positions in the crucible 20 can be observed from the visible window 12, and further, evaporation can be performed after the target materials in the crucible 20 are observed to be completely melted. Therefore, the vapor deposition apparatus 100 is advantageous in that the target material is completely melted and then vapor deposition is started, and the fluctuation of the deposition rate due to the clearance between granular target materials during vapor deposition is avoided, thereby being advantageous in improving the vapor deposition effect.

Alternatively, the first axis a is disposed coaxially with the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30.

In some embodiments, the crucible rotation mechanism 30 is configured to drive the crucible 20 to rotate about the first axis aWherein n is an integer greater than 1. Thus, during actual use, the target material in the crucible 20 may be melted when the crucible 20 is in the initial position until the target material is completely melted when the target material is observed from the view window 12 in the initial position, and then the crucible rotation mechanism 30 is operated to drive the crucible 20 to rotate about the first axis a>Again, the melting condition of the target material in the crucible 20 is observed, and if the target material which is not completely melted in the crucible 20 is found, the crucible 20 can be rotated back to the initial position, and the target material is continuously melted. The above operation is repeated until crucible 20 is rotated about first axis a>The target material is then completely melted as can be seen from the viewing window 12, and the crucible 20 is then rotated about the first axis a, respectivelyAfter each rotation of the crucible 20, the melting condition of the target material in the crucible 20 is observed, and if the target material which is not completely melted is observed, the melting is continued until the target material in the crucible 20 is observed to be completely melted, and then the melting is stopped and the vapor deposition is started.

The number of n may be set according to the use requirement, for example, n may be 2, 3, 4, … …, etc., which is not limited herein.

FIG. 3 is an internal schematic view of the crucible in an initial position as viewed from a viewing window in the embodiment of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is an internal schematic view of the crucible in a first position as viewed from the viewing window in the embodiment of FIG. 1.

In one embodiment, n=2. In actual use, the crucible 20 has an initial position and a first position, the crucible 20 being configured to be in the first position after the initial position is rotated 180 ° about the first axis a. As shown in fig. 2, the crucible 20 has a first side 22 and a second side 23 that are radially opposite each other, and when the crucible 20 is in the initial position, the second side 23 of the crucible 20 is located between the first side 22 of the crucible 20 and the view window 12 in the radial direction of the crucible 20, and in the initial position (see fig. 3), the crucible 20 has a blind zone 24 that is proximate to the view window 12 and a visible zone 25 that is distal from the view window 12. To facilitate observation of the melting of the target material located in the blind zone 24 of the crucible 20 in the initial position, as shown in fig. 4, the crucible 20 can be driven to rotate 180 ° about the first axis a relative to the housing 10 to a first position by manipulating the crucible rotation mechanism 30 such that the first side 22 of the crucible 20 is located between the second side 23 of the crucible 20 and the view window 12 in the radial direction of the crucible 20, i.e., such that the blind zone 24 of the crucible 20 in the initial position is rotated to a side located away from the view window 12, thereby facilitating observation through the view window 12.

In another embodiment, n=4, the crucible rotation mechanism 30 can drive the crucible 20 through 90 °, 180 °, 270 °, or 360 ° about the first axis a to further facilitate viewing of melting of targets at different locations within the crucible 20.

In some embodiments, the vapor deposition apparatus 100 further includes a controller (not shown) electrically connected to the crucible rotation mechanism 30, the controller configured to control the crucible rotation mechanism 30 to drive the crucible 20 to rotate about the first axis a relative to the housing 10.

Specifically, the controller is configured to control the crucible rotation mechanism 30 to drive the crucible 20 from the initial position to rotate clockwise about the first axis aAnd the controller is configured to control the crucible rotation mechanism 30 to drive the crucible 20 back to the initial position counter-clockwise about the first axis a.

Alternatively, the controller may employ a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller programmable logic controller).

It should be appreciated that the crucible rotation mechanism 30 does not interfere with the opening 21 of the crucible 20 to avoid the crucible rotation mechanism 30 from affecting the melting and evaporation of the target material within the crucible 20.

Optionally, a crucible rotation mechanism 30 is attached to an end of crucible 20 facing away from opening 21.

To further facilitate viewing the melting of the target material within the crucible 20 from the viewing window 12, in some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1-2, there is a predetermined spacing between the viewing window 12 and the opening 21 of the crucible 20 in the axial direction of the crucible 20.

It will be appreciated that the preset interval may be set according to the needs of the application. For example, the preset interval may be set according to the depth of the crucible 20, the distance between the crucible 20 and the view window 12 in the radial direction thereof, and the like, as long as the inside of the crucible 20 is easily observed from the view window 12, and the size of the preset interval is not limited herein.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1-2, the axis of the crucible 20 is parallel to the surface of the side of the viewing window 12 remote from the vacuum chamber 11. It should be understood that the opening 21 of the crucible 20 is disposed coaxially with the crucible 20, and therefore, by disposing the axial direction of the crucible 20 parallel to the surface of the side of the view window 12 remote from the vacuum chamber 11, the axis of the opening 21 of the crucible 20 is made parallel to the surface of the side of the view window 12 remote from the vacuum chamber 11, and thus, when the crucible rotation mechanism 30 drives the crucible 20 to rotate about the first axis a to different positions, the inside of the crucible 20 can be easily observed through the view window 12.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the structure of the susceptor and crucible rotation mechanism of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 6 is a partial schematic view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the carrier and crucible rotation mechanism in an intermediate position.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1 and 5-6, the vapor deposition apparatus 100 further includes a stage 40 disposed in the vacuum chamber 11, the stage 40 being configured to receive the crucible 20, and the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30 being configured to penetrate into the stage 40 and be coupled to the crucible 20. Thus, by providing the stage 40, the crucible 20 is more stably placed in the vacuum chamber 11.

FIG. 7 is a partial schematic view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the carrier and crucible rotation mechanism in an ejection position.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30 can be moved relative to the stage 40 in the axial direction of the crucible 20 to drive the crucible 20 to move relative to the stage 40 in the axial direction thereof, thereby causing at least a portion of the crucible 20 to protrude from the stage 40 in the axial direction thereof or to place the crucible 20 within the stage 40. In this way, the crucible 20 can be taken out from the carrier 40 when the crucible 20 protrudes from the carrier 40 along the axial direction of the crucible 20, or the crucible 20 is placed on the output end 31 of the crucible rotating mechanism 30, so that the crucible 20 is placed in the carrier 40 through the movement of the output end 31 of the crucible rotating mechanism 30, thereby facilitating the taking and placing of the crucible 20, avoiding the damage to the crucible 20 or the carrier 40 caused by the difficulty in separating the crucible 20 from the carrier 40 when the crucible 20 is taken and placed, and avoiding the difficulty in cleaning caused by the accumulation of a target material forming film layer on the surface damage part of the crucible 20.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 6 to 7, the crucible rotation mechanism 30 has an ejection position in which at least part of the crucible 20 protrudes from the stage 40 in the axial direction of the crucible 20, and an intermediate position in which the crucible 20 is placed in the stage 40, respectively, and the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30 can be moved toward a side close to or away from the stage 40 in the axial direction of the crucible 20 to switch the crucible rotation mechanism 30 between the ejection position and the intermediate position.

In one embodiment, in the ejected position, the portion of the crucible 20 protruding from the carrier 40 in the axial direction thereof has a dimension of 1 cm in the axial direction of the crucible 20. In other embodiments, in the ejection position, the dimension of the portion of the crucible 20 protruding from the carrier 40 along the axial direction of the crucible 20 may be other arrangements according to the use requirement, so long as the crucible 20 can be conveniently taken out from and placed on the carrier 40, which is not limited herein.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a structure of a crucible according to an embodiment of the present utility model.

To stabilize the movement of the crucible 20 relative to the carrier 40 in the axial direction of the crucible 20, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8, the outer wall of the end of the crucible 20 facing away from the opening 21 is recessed into the crucible 20 in the axial direction of the crucible 20 to form a recess 26, as shown in FIG. 7, and the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30 is adapted to be coupled to the recess 26. Thus, by providing the recess 26, when the crucible rotation mechanism 30 drives the crucible 20 to move relative to the carrier 40 in the axial direction of the crucible 20, the recess 26 provides a limiting effect on the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30, thereby improving the stability of the movement of the crucible 20 relative to the carrier 40 in the axial direction thereof.

Optionally, the shape of the recess 26 is adapted to the shape of the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30, and the radial dimension of the recess 26 is larger than the outer diameter dimension of the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30, so as to further improve the stability of the movement of the crucible 20 relative to the carrier 40 along the axial direction thereof.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 8, a protrusion 27 is convexly provided on the outer peripheral wall of the end of the crucible 20 where the opening 21 is provided, along the axial direction of the crucible 20, and the protrusion 27 is provided around the opening 21 of the crucible 20. Thus, the stability of the crucible 20 is further improved. For example, in actual use, when it is desired to remove the crucible 20 from the carrier 40, the crucible rotation mechanism 30 is operated to drive the crucible 20 to move axially relative to the carrier 40 so that the end of the crucible 20 having the opening 21 protrudes from the carrier 40 (see fig. 7), and then the crucible 20 is held by a tool to remove the crucible 20 from the carrier 40. Since the crucible 20 is provided with the projection 27 surrounding the opening 21, the projection 27 can be abutted when the crucible 20 is held by the tool, thereby improving the stability when the crucible 20 is taken or transferred by the tool, and avoiding the pollution of the vacuum chamber 11 caused by the target material being spilled from the crucible 20 due to the inclination of the crucible 20 (see fig. 1).

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 8, a receiving chamber 41 for receiving the crucible 20 is provided on the stage 40, the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30 is capable of penetrating into the stage 40 and extending into the receiving chamber 41, a chamber wall of an end of the receiving chamber 41 remote from the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30 is recessed toward a side close to the stage 40 in a radial direction of the crucible 20 to form a groove 42 communicating with the receiving chamber 41, and the groove 42 is configured to be fitted with the projection 27. In this way, by providing the recess 42 on the stage 40 to be fitted with the projection 27 so as to position the crucible 20 relative to the stage 40 by the engagement of the recess 42 with the projection 27, and by checking whether the projection 27 of the crucible 20 is engaged with the recess 42 when the crucible 20 is placed in the stage 40, it is possible to confirm whether the crucible 20 is placed in place in the stage 40, so as to avoid tilting of the crucible 20 relative to the stage 40 due to the presence of foreign matter in the accommodation chamber 41.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 6, when the recess 42 (see fig. 7) is fitted with the projection 27, a side surface of the projection 27 near the opening 21 in the axial direction of the crucible 20 is flush with a side surface of the stage 40 near the recess 42 in the axial direction of the crucible 20. In this manner, when the crucible 20 is placed in the stage 40, it can be confirmed whether the crucible 20 is placed in place in the stage 40 by checking whether the crucible 20 is flush with the stage 40.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 7, the carrier 40 is provided with an opening 43 for the crucible rotation mechanism 30 to pass through, the opening 43 is formed on one side of the carrier 40 away from the accommodating cavity 41 along the axial direction of the crucible 20, the opening 43 is communicated with one end of the accommodating cavity 41 away from the groove 42 along the axial direction of the crucible 20, and the opening 43 and the accommodating cavity 41 together pass through the carrier 40 along the axial direction of the crucible 20.

FIG. 9 is a partial schematic view of the carrier and crucible rotation mechanism of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 9, the aperture 43 is configured to fit the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30, e.g., the shape of the aperture 43 fits the shape of the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30, and the size of the aperture 43 fits the size of the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30. In this way, after the crucible 20 is taken out from the carrier 40, the crucible rotating mechanism 30 can be located at an intermediate position (refer to fig. 6), that is, the output end 31 of the crucible rotating mechanism 30 is inserted through the opening 43 and seals one end of the accommodating cavity 41, which is communicated with the opening 43, so as to facilitate cleaning the accommodating cavity 41, and prevent foreign matters from falling below the carrier 40 through the opening 43 after the crucible 20 is taken out from the carrier 40.

In one embodiment, the difference between the radial dimension of the aperture 43 and the radial dimension of the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30 is 1 millimeter. In other embodiments, the difference between the radial dimension of the opening 43 and the radial dimension of the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30 may be other arrangements according to the use requirement, so long as the foreign matter can be prevented from falling out of the opening 43, which is not limited herein.

FIG. 10 is a partial schematic view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the carrier and crucible rotation mechanism in a lowered position.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 6 and 10, the crucible rotation mechanism 30 is configured to be movable relative to the carrier 40 in an axial direction of the crucible 20 to cause the crucible rotation mechanism 30 to support the crucible 20 or to cause the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30 to be separated from the crucible 20.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 10, the crucible rotation mechanism 30 has a lowered position in which the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30 is separated from the crucible 20, and in the lowered position, the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30 is located outside the stage 40 and is spaced apart from the stage 40 in the axial direction of the crucible 20.

Fig. 11 is a top view of a stage according to an embodiment of the utility model.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1 and 11, the axis of the carrier 40 and the first axis a are parallel to each other and spaced apart, the number of the crucibles 20 is plural, and the plurality of the crucibles 20 are spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the carrier 40, wherein the carrier 40 is configured to be rotatable about its axis with respect to the housing 10. In this way, a plurality of crucibles 20 can be placed on the carrier 40 for respectively holding different kinds of targets, thereby being matched with various metal target processes. By arranging the carrying platform 40 to rotate around the axis thereof relative to the shell 10, the position of the crucible 20 placed in the carrying platform 40 relative to the shell 10 is changed, so that any crucible 20 can rotate around the axis of the carrying platform 40 to a preset position, and the target material in the crucible 20 positioned at the preset position is melted and evaporated. It will be appreciated that when it is desired to rotate the carrier 40 about its axis relative to the housing 10, the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30 can be separated from the crucible 20 by manipulating the crucible rotation mechanism 30 to avoid impeding the rotation of the carrier 40. And the crucible rotating mechanism 30 prevents the target materials in the crucible 20 from being not completely melted, so that the problem that the carrier 40 is blocked and cannot rotate due to the fact that the magnetic target materials such as nickel target materials are not completely melted is avoided.

The axis of the crucible 20 at the predetermined position coincides with the first axis a.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 1-2, the vapor deposition apparatus 100 further includes a stage rotation mechanism 50 connected to the stage 40, where the stage rotation mechanism 50 is configured to drive the stage 40 to rotate about an axis of the stage 40 relative to the housing 10. The controller is electrically connected to the stage rotation mechanism 50 and the crucible rotation mechanism 30, respectively, and is configured to control either one of the stage rotation mechanism 50 and the crucible rotation mechanism 30 to be in a locked state when the other is in an operating state, so as to avoid interference between the stage rotation mechanism 50 and the crucible rotation mechanism 30.

Specifically, when the stage rotation mechanism 50 is in the locked state, the stage 40 is fixed relative to the housing 10, and when the crucible rotation mechanism 30 is in the locked state, the crucible rotation mechanism 30 is in the lowered position, and the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30 is fixed relative to the housing 10.

In some embodiments, the vapor deposition device 100 has an operational mode and an automatic mode, and the controller is configured to control the vapor deposition device 100 to switch between the operational mode and the automatic mode. In the operating mode, melting may be paused during melting and the crucible 20 is driven to rotate about the first axis a relative to the housing 10 by controlling the crucible rotation mechanism 30 to observe the melting of the target material within the crucible 20. In the automatic mode, the controller controls the crucible rotation mechanism 30 to be in a locked state, and thus, the automatic mode can be employed when observation of melting of the target material is not required.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 11, at least one loading cavity 44 is further provided on a side of the carrier 40 for accommodating the crucible 20, and all of the loading cavities 44 and all of the crucibles 20 are staggered with each other along the circumferential direction of the carrier 40. It should be noted that, since some kinds of targets are not held by the crucible 20, they are directly placed in the stage 40, for example, aluminum targets. Therefore, by providing the loading chamber 44 on the carrier 40 to contain the target material without using the crucible 20, the applicability of the vapor deposition apparatus 100 to various metal target material processes is further improved.

It will be appreciated that in actual use, when the loading chamber 44 is rotated about the axis of the carrier 40 to a predetermined position to melt and evaporate the target material in the loading chamber 44, the crucible rotation mechanism 30 is in the lowered position, and the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30 is fixed relative to the housing 10.

Specifically, the controller is configured to control the crucible rotation mechanism 30 to be in a locked state when the loading chamber 44 is in a preset position.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 7, the accommodating chambers 41 and the openings 43 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the crucible 20, and as shown in fig. 11, all the accommodating chambers 41 and all the material accommodating chambers 44 are staggered with each other along the circumferential direction of the carrier 40.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 11, the number of the accommodating chambers 44 is 1, and the number of the accommodating chambers 41 is 4, to allow the distance between the accommodating chambers 44 and the adjacent accommodating chambers 41 in the circumferential direction of the stage 40 to be designed to be large, and to allow the distance between the accommodating chambers 41 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the stage 40 to be designed to be large, so as to avoid mixing with the adjacent accommodating chambers 41 or the target materials in the accommodating chambers 44 after the target materials in the accommodating chambers 44 or the accommodating chambers 41 overflow.

It should be noted that, the number of the material placing cavities 44 and the number of the accommodating cavities 41 can be set in other ways according to the usage requirement, so long as the situation that the target materials overflow and mix due to too close distance between the adjacent material placing cavities 44 or the adjacent accommodating cavities 41 along the circumferential direction of the carrying platform 40 is avoided. In addition, the placement chamber 44 may not be provided, depending on the desired metal target process.

In some embodiments, when at least one placement cavity 44 is provided on the stage 40, all the placement cavities 41 and all the placement cavities 44 are uniformly spaced along the circumferential direction of the stage 40, and when no placement cavity 44 is provided on the stage 40, all the placement cavities 41 are uniformly spaced along the circumferential direction of the stage 40. In this way, in the actual use process, the carrier rotating mechanism 50 is conveniently operated to drive the carrier 40 to rotate around the axis of the carrier 40, so that the accommodating cavity 41 or the accommodating cavity 41 and the material accommodating cavity 44 on the carrier 40 rotate to the preset positions around the axis of the carrier 40 in sequence, and then the target materials in the crucible 20 or the material accommodating cavity 44 at the preset positions are melted and evaporated in sequence.

Specifically, the stage rotation mechanism 50 is configured to be able to drive the stage 40 to rotate around the axis of the stage 40Where m is the sum of the number of all the accommodating chambers 44 and all the accommodating chambers 41, so as to switch the accommodating chamber 41 (or the accommodating chamber 44) at the preset position to the adjacent accommodating chamber 41 (or the accommodating chamber 44).

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1, the vapor deposition apparatus 100 further includes an electron gun 60 disposed in the vacuum chamber 11, the electron gun 60 being located outside the stage 40, and the electron gun 60 being spaced apart from the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the crucible 20. Thus, the electron gun 60 is arranged to bombard the target material in the crucible 20 by using the electron beam emitted by the electron gun 60, and the vapor deposition process is performed, so that the electron beam is prevented from being blocked by the carrier 40 by arranging the electron gun 60 on the outer side of the carrier 40. And since the electron gun 60 is disposed at intervals from the output end 31 of the crucible rotation mechanism 30 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the crucible 20, so as to focus the electron beam on the target material at the preset position, and before evaporating the target material at the preset position, the crucible 20 at the preset position can be driven to rotate around the first axis a relative to the carrier 40 by the crucible rotation mechanism 30, so as to observe the melting condition of the target material in the crucible 20 from the visual window 12, and determine whether the target material in the crucible 20 is completely melted.

It will be appreciated that due to the provision of the projection 27 on the crucible 20 to enhance stability when the crucible 20 is handled or transferred with a tool, short circuits during operation of the electron gun 60 due to target material being spilled into the electron gun 60 are avoided.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 1, the vapor deposition apparatus 100 further includes a plating pot 70 provided in the vacuum chamber 11 for mounting the substrate, the plating pot 70 being disposed facing each other and spaced apart from a side of the stage 40 for accommodating the crucible 20 in the axial direction of the crucible 20.

It should be noted that the working principle of the electron gun 60 is that the electron beam is accelerated under the action of the externally applied deflection magnetic field, deflected by 270 °, the high-speed electron beam bombards the target material at the preset position, and generates high temperature (kinetic energy is converted into heat energy), when the temperature reaches the melting point of the target material, the target material is evaporated upwards, and is plated on the substrate of the plating pot 70. Because some of the targets are granular when they are placed in the crucible 20 or the material placing cavity 44, the newly placed targets are dispersed on the surface of the original targets in the crucible 20 or the material placing cavity 44, so that the targets are melted before evaporation, that is, before evaporation of the targets at the preset positions, the targets at the preset positions are bombarded by the electron gun 60 until the newly placed targets are integrated with the original targets.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1 and 12, the vapor deposition apparatus 100 further includes a first shielding member 80 disposed in the vacuum chamber 11, the first shielding member 80 being disposed to cover a side of the stage 40 for accommodating the crucible 20, the first shielding member 80 being provided with a first through hole 821 for communicating with the opening 21 of the crucible 20, and a second through hole 811 disposed opposite to the electron gun 60 in an axial direction of the crucible 20. Thus, by providing the first shutter 80, when the crucible 20 includes a plurality of target materials, and each time the target materials in a single crucible 20 are melted and evaporated, the openings 21 of the other crucibles 20 can be shielded by the first shutter 80 to avoid contamination of the target materials in the other crucibles 20. And since the first shielding member 80 is provided with the first through hole 821 and the second through hole 811, respectively, when the target material in the single crucible 20 is melted and evaporated, the electron beam of the electron gun 60 passes through the second through hole 811 and the first through hole 821 and is focused on the target material in the crucible 20, so as to melt or evaporate the target material in the single crucible 20.

It is understood that the first through hole 821 is for communicating with the opening 21 of the crucible 20 at a predetermined position or with the cavity mouth of the placing cavity 44 at a predetermined position. When the preset position is the material placing cavity 44, the electron beam of the electron gun 60 passes through the second through hole 811 and the first through hole 821 and is focused on the target material in the material placing cavity 44, so as to melt or evaporate the target material in the material placing cavity 44.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1 and 12, the first shield 80 includes a cover plate 81 and a crater 82. The cover plate 81 and the carrier 40 are disposed at a distance from each other along the axial direction of the crucible 20 on the side for accommodating the crucible 20, and the cover plate 81 is provided with second through holes 811 and mounting openings 812 facing the output end 31 of the crucible rotating mechanism 30 along the axial direction of the crucible 20. The crater 82 is mounted at the mounting opening 812, and the crater 82 extends along the radial direction of the crucible 20 toward the side close to the carrier 40 and is spaced from the carrier 40, and the crater 82 is provided with a first through hole 821. In this way, by providing the cover plate 81, when the targets in the individual crucibles 20 are melted or evaporated by the electron gun 60, the cover plate 81 shields the other crucibles 20, thereby reducing contamination to the targets in the other crucibles 20. By providing the crater 82, the gap between the carrier 40 and the individual crucibles 20 at the mounting opening 812 along the axis of the crucible 20 is reduced, thereby further reducing contamination of the target material in the other crucibles 20. And since the cover plate 81 and the crater 82 are both disposed at a distance from the carrier 40 in the axial direction of the crucible 20, the cover plate 81 or the crater 82 can prevent the carrier 40 from rotating around its axis relative to the housing 10.

It should be appreciated that, due to the arrangement of the crucible rotation mechanism 30 in connection with the single crucible 20 at the mounting opening 812, when melting the target material in the single crucible 20, the single crucible 20 can be driven to rotate about the first axis a by the crucible rotation mechanism 30 to avoid incomplete melting of the target material caused by the crater 82 affecting the view of the melting condition of the target material in the crucible 20.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 1, the outside of the cover plate 81 is connected to the cavity wall of the vacuum chamber 11 to partition the vacuum chamber 11 into a first space 111 and a second space 112, the first space 111 and the second space 112 are communicated with each other through a mounting port 812 and a second through hole 811, the plating pot 70 is provided in the first space 111, and the stage 40, the crucible rotation mechanism 30 and the electron gun 60 are provided in the second space 112. In this way, when melting or evaporating the single crucible 20 at the mounting opening 812, the cover plate 81 also provides shielding protection for other parts in the second space 112 from contamination.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 1, the second through hole 811 and the mounting port 812 communicate with each other.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1, the vapor deposition apparatus 100 further includes a second shutter 90 provided in the vacuum chamber 11, the second shutter 90 and a side of the first shutter 80 facing away from the stage 40 are disposed at a distance from each other in the axial direction of the crucible 20, and the second shutter 90 and the first through hole 821 and the second through hole 811 are disposed opposite to each other in the axial direction of the crucible 20. Thus, by providing the second shutter 90, contamination of the plating pot 70 by the evaporated target material is avoided when melting the target material in the crucible 20 communicating with the first through hole 821.

It should be appreciated that the second shutter 90 does not interfere with the viewing of the target material within the crucible 20 at the mounting port 812 from the viewing window 12.

Optionally, the second shutter 90 is configured to be movably disposed between the plating pot 70 and the first through hole 821 and the second through hole 811 to prevent the target evaporated during melting from contaminating the plating pot 70 by positioning the second shutter 90 between the plating pot 70 and the first through hole 821 and the second through hole 811 when melting the target in the crucible 20 communicating with the first through hole 821, and to prevent the target evaporated during evaporation from being plated onto the substrate of the plating pot 70 by moving the second shutter 90 between the plating pot 70 and the first through hole 821 or the second through hole 811 after the target is completely melted. In this way, in the actual use process, before the target material in the crucible 20 at the mounting opening 812 is melted, the substrate can be mounted on the plating pot 70, the melting is started after the vacuum chamber 11 is vacuumized, and the second shielding member 90 is utilized to avoid the pollution of the substrate in the melting process, so that the operation that if the target material is mounted on the plating pot 70 after being completely melted, the vacuum in the vacuum chamber 11 needs to be vacuumized again before vapor deposition is saved. During melting, when it is desired to suspend melting to view the target material in the crucible 20, the second shutter 90 may be moved so as not to block the first through hole 821 and the second through hole 811, thereby further facilitating the view of the target material in the crucible 20 through the viewing window 12.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 1, the vapor deposition apparatus further includes a support 110 provided in the vacuum chamber 11, the support 110 being connected to the second shutter 90, and the second shutter 90 being configured to be rotatable relative to the support 110 about a rotation axis perpendicular to an axial direction of the crucible 20, such that the second shutter 90 is movably provided between the plating pot 70 and the first through hole 821 and the second through hole 811.

In the practical use process of the evaporation apparatus 100 provided by the present utility model, the crucible rotating mechanism 30 is controlled to be at the descending position, and then the stage rotating mechanism 50 is controlled to drive the stage 40 to rotate around the axis thereof to enable one of the crucibles 20 to be at the preset position, i.e. the axis of the crucible 20 coincides with the first axis a, and at this time, the single crucible 20 is located between the first through hole 821 and the crucible rotating mechanism 30 along the axial direction thereof. The crucible rotation mechanism 30 is controlled to switch to the ejection position so as to take out the individual crucibles 20 and put the target material into the crucibles 20. And then the crucible rotating mechanism 30 is controlled to be switched to the middle position so as to clean the accommodating cavity 41 to avoid foreign matters, and then the crucible rotating mechanism 30 is controlled to be switched to the ejection position, so that the crucible 20 containing the target material is placed on the output end 31 of the crucible rotating mechanism 30. The crucible rotation mechanism 30 is controlled to be sequentially switched to the intermediate position and the lowered position to place the crucible 20 in the accommodating chamber 41, and then the target material is melted and vapor deposited. After the evaporation is completed, the stage rotation mechanism 50 is controlled to drive the stage 40 to rotate around the axis thereof until the other crucible 20 is positioned at the preset position, and the above operation is repeated.

It is to be understood that the utility model is not limited in its application to the examples described above, but is capable of modification and variation in light of the above teachings by those skilled in the art, and that all such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An evaporation apparatus, comprising:

a housing having a vacuum chamber;

2. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an axial direction of the crucible is parallel to a surface of a side of the view window remote from the vacuum chamber.

3. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a stage provided in the vacuum chamber, the stage being configured to house the crucible;

the output end of the crucible rotating mechanism can penetrate into the carrying platform and is connected with the crucible.

4. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an output end of the crucible rotating mechanism is movable relative to the stage in an axial direction of the crucible to drive the crucible to move relative to the stage in an axial direction thereof, so that at least a part of the crucible protrudes from or is placed in the stage in the axial direction thereof.

5. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 4, wherein an outer wall of an end of the crucible facing away from the opening is recessed into the crucible in an axial direction of the crucible to form a recessed portion, and an output end of the crucible rotation mechanism is adapted to be connected to the recessed portion.

6. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a projection is provided on an outer peripheral wall of an end of the crucible provided with the opening, the projection being provided around the opening of the crucible, in an axial direction of the crucible.

7. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a receiving chamber for receiving the crucible is provided on the carrier, an output end of the crucible rotation mechanism is capable of penetrating into the carrier and extending into the receiving chamber, a chamber wall of an end of the receiving chamber remote from the output end of the crucible rotation mechanism is recessed toward a side close to the carrier in a radial direction of the crucible to form a recess communicating with the receiving chamber, the recess being configured to fit with the projection.

8. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the crucible rotation mechanism is configured to be movable relative to the stage in an axial direction of the crucible to cause the crucible rotation mechanism to support the crucible or to cause an output end of the crucible rotation mechanism to be separated from the crucible;

the axis of the carrying platform and the first axis are parallel to each other and are arranged at intervals;

wherein the carrier is configured to be rotatable about its axis relative to the housing.

9. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 8, wherein one side of the carrier for accommodating the crucible is further provided with at least one placement cavity, and all of the placement cavities and all of the crucibles are alternately arranged with each other along the circumferential direction of the carrier.

10. The vapor deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 9, characterized in that the vapor deposition apparatus further comprises an electron gun provided in the vacuum chamber;

the electron gun is positioned at the outer side of the carrying platform, and the electron gun is arranged at intervals with the output end of the crucible rotating mechanism along the direction vertical to the axial direction of the crucible.