KR101249679B1 - Apparatus for supplying evaporation material and evaporation device using it - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, the thermal barrier mechanism is configured in the container in which the deposition material is stored, thereby heating only the deposition material located at the upper part of the container, and minimizing the heating of the deposition material stored in the lower part of the container, thereby degrading the deposition material stored in the lower part of the container. Alternatively, the present invention provides a deposition material supplying device and a deposition apparatus using the same, which can prevent denaturation, thereby improving deposition performance and increasing product performance and reliability of OLEDs manufactured therefrom.

Description

Apparatus for supplying evaporation material and evaporation device using it}

The present invention relates to an apparatus for supplying a deposition material such as an organic material to deposit a thin film on an organic light emitting diode (OLED) substrate or the like.

In general, OLED is also called organic EL. It refers to a self-luminous organic material that emits light by using electroluminescence which emits light when electric current flows through a fluorescent organic compound.

Display devices using OLED can be driven at low voltage, can be made thin, and have a wide viewing angle and fast response speed, unlike ordinary LCDs, the picture quality does not change even when viewed from the side, and afterimages are not left on the screen. The screen has an advantageous price competitiveness due to the image quality of LCD and simple manufacturing process.

Display elements using OLEDs having such characteristics are mainly used for displays and lighting devices of small devices such as mobile phones, car audios and digital cameras, and in the future, displays of large devices such as TVs, flexible displays that can be bent and carried It is attracting attention as a next generation display element that can be used.

OLED deposition equipment is needed to make display of TV or mobile phone using OLED and to produce lighting equipment. OLED deposition equipment is a device used to form a thin film by depositing an organic material on the substrate.

The basic cell structure of an OLED forms a large amount of ultra-fine organic layers sandwiched between a transmissive anode and a metallic cathode, which use OLED deposition equipment to form such organic layers.

In general, an OLED deposition apparatus includes a chamber having a deposition space in which a substrate is introduced to deposit an organic material, a crucible (or container) provided in an upper or lower region of the chamber and storing an organic material, and the container It is provided with a heating mechanism for heating the evaporation of the organic material.

However, since the deposition apparatus of the prior art is configured to heat and evaporate the organic material (deposition material) stored therein while the heating mechanism heats the entire crucible, the organic material located at the bottom of the eggplant deteriorates when heated for a long time. Etc. There is a problem that thermal degeneration occurs. As a result, not only the deposition performance is deteriorated but also the problem of deterioration in reliability of OLED manufacturing due to deposition of deteriorated organic materials occurs.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, by constructing a thermal barrier mechanism between the deposition material, by not heating the deposition material stored outside the heating area to improve the deposition performance and the reliability of the manufactured product An object of the present invention is to provide a deposition material supply apparatus and a deposition apparatus using the same.

Deposition material supply apparatus according to the present invention for realizing the above object is a container in which the deposition material is stored; A heating mechanism for heating the upper side of the deposition material stored inside the vessel; And a thermal cutoff mechanism positioned between the deposition material in the vessel to block heat generated by the heating mechanism.

The container is preferably provided with a detector for detecting the storage degree of the deposition material.

The heating mechanism is preferably configured to be movable up and down by the heating drive mechanism.

Preferably, the thermal barrier mechanism has a mesh structure to allow passage between the deposition materials.

At this time, in the thermal barrier mechanism, the cross section for distinguishing between the hole and the hole of the mesh is preferably formed narrower from the upper side to the lower side.

The thermal barrier mechanism may be configured in plural numbers arranged at regular intervals between the deposition materials.

Preferably, the plurality of thermal barrier mechanisms are configured such that mesh holes are alternately arranged in a horizontal direction.

The thermal barrier mechanism is preferably configured to be movable up and down by a blocking drive mechanism disposed outside the container.

At this time, the blocking drive mechanism may be configured of a wire rod connected to the inside from the outside of the container, and a winding mechanism for pulling or releasing the wire rod.

Deposition equipment according to the present invention for realizing the above object is a deposition chamber having a deposition space in which the substrate is introduced and the deposition is made; It characterized in that it comprises a deposition material supply apparatus according to the present invention for supplying a deposition material in the deposition space portion.

The main problem solving means of the present invention as described above, will be described in more detail and clearly through examples such as 'details for the implementation of the invention', or the accompanying 'drawings' to be described below, wherein In addition to the main problem solving means as described above, various problem solving means according to the present invention will be further presented and described.

The deposition material supplying apparatus and the deposition equipment using the same according to the present invention heat only the deposition material located on the upper part of the container because the thermal barrier mechanism is disposed between the deposition material in the container in which the deposition material is stored, Heating of the stored deposition material can be minimized, thereby preventing deterioration or denaturation of the deposition material stored in the lower part of the container, thereby improving the deposition performance and improving the product performance of the OLED manufactured therefrom. to provide.

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a deposition material supply apparatus according to the present invention.
2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the deposition material supply apparatus according to the present invention, a configuration diagram showing an operating state when the deposition material is reduced.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment showing the operating structure of the heating mechanism and the heating mechanism in the deposition material supply apparatus according to the present invention.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment showing the operating structure of the thermal barrier mechanism and the thermal barrier mechanism in the deposition material supply apparatus according to the present invention.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment showing the operating structure of the thermal barrier mechanism and the thermal barrier mechanism in the deposition material supply apparatus according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the overall configuration of the deposition material supply apparatus according to the present invention will be described, and with reference to Figures 3 to 5, the main components will be described in detail.

1 is a view showing an initial operating state of the deposition material supply apparatus according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a view showing an operating state when the deposition material reduction of the deposition material supply apparatus according to the present invention.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a deposition chamber.

In the deposition chamber 10, a deposition space part 11 into which the substrate S is introduced and deposited is provided, and a deposition material supply part 12 is provided below the deposition space part 11. Of course, the substrate (S) is preferably introduced in a state supported on the support structure or the transfer structure, such as the frame (F) in the state bonded to the mask.

The deposition space 11 and the deposition material supply unit 12 may be divided through the partition 13, and the partition 13 may include a shutter 14 that is opened when the deposition material is supplied.

Since the structure of the deposition space 11 is well known, a detailed description thereof will be omitted and the focus will be on the deposition material supply unit 12.

The deposition material supply unit 12 is provided with a deposition material supply device 20. In addition, the deposition material supply unit 12 may be provided with a thickness monitor 15 for measuring the amount of evaporation of the deposition material (organic or inorganic).

In the embodiment of the present invention, the deposition material supply apparatus 20 illustrates a configuration provided in the deposition chamber 10. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the deposition material supply apparatus 20 may be provided outside the deposition chamber 10 to be disposed inside the deposition chamber 10. It is also possible to configure the vapor deposition material to be supplied to the vapor deposition space (11).

In the following description, the deposition material supply device 20 is installed in the deposition chamber 10.

The deposition material supply device 20 includes a container 21 in which deposition material is stored, a heating mechanism 31 configured to heat an upper portion of the deposition material stored in the container 21, and the deposition material in the container 21. It is configured to include a thermal cut-off mechanism 41 which is located in between to block the heat generated by the heating mechanism (31).

First, the container 21 is configured to store a deposition material made of powder, and may be configured in various shapes and structures, and the material may also be variously configured using a known material according to the implementation conditions.

Such a container 21 is provided with a nozzle or outlet 23 through which the deposition material heated by the heating mechanism 31 is discharged.

In addition, the container 21 is preferably provided with a detector (25) for detecting the storage degree of the deposition material on one side inside. In this case, the detector port 25 can be configured using a known height measuring sensor such as an optical sensor.

Next, the heating mechanism 31 is preferably located in the container 21 and configured to heat the upper portion of the deposition material. If the heating device 31 is capable of heating the deposition material, the heating mechanism 31 may be configured in various ways such as stationary or mobile. In the case of the fixed type, it is preferable to be installed above the container 21 so as to heat the deposition material.

In the drawings exemplifying the present embodiment, a mobile structure is illustrated, and this structure will be described.

3 is an exemplary view showing a driving structure of the heating mechanism 31. The heating mechanism 31 is composed of an outer frame 32 and heating coils 34 disposed at regular intervals between the outer frame 32. As shown in FIG. .

The outer frame 32 can be formed to suit the shape of the container 21 can be configured.

The heating coil 34 is configured to receive power through a wire 36 to be described later or a wire introduced with the wire, and is installed at equal intervals so as to uniformly heat the deposition material in the container 21. It is preferable.

Instead of the heating coil 34, it is also possible to use another known heating source capable of heating the deposition material such as laser heating means.

The heating mechanism 31 may be configured to be moved up and down by the heating driving mechanism 35, which is to heat the deposition material while varying its height according to the height in which the deposition material is stored in the container 21. .

The heating driving mechanism 35 may be configured in various ways using a well-known vertical moving driving mechanism as long as the heating driving mechanism 35 is capable of vertically moving the heating mechanism 31. In the drawing of this embodiment is an embodiment configured to move the heating mechanism 31 up and down by pulling or releasing the wire 36 in a state in which a plurality of wires 36 are connected to the outer frame 32 of the heating mechanism 31 Shows.

Of course, the wire 36 is installed to be connected in a state passing through the container 21, wherein the container 21 is preferably provided with a sealing member (not shown) in the hole through which the wire 36 passes.

In addition, one or more rollers 37 for guiding movement of the plurality of wires 36 may be installed on the upper side of the vessel 21 or the peripheral structure of the vessel 21, and at the end of the wire 36. Winding roller 38 for pulling or releasing 36 is preferably provided and a drive motor (not shown) for rotationally driving it.

Meanwhile, in the above, the configuration in which the heating mechanism 31 is installed inside the container 21 has been described. However, the heating mechanism 31 is not limited thereto. It is also possible to configure it to evaporate, and it is also possible to be built in the wall of the container 21 and to be configured to heat the deposition material.

Next, the heat shield mechanism 41 is preferably made of a mesh (mesh) structure so as to pass between the deposition material made of powder.

Referring to FIG. 4, the heat shield mechanism 41 is preferably composed of an outer portion 42 supporting the entire heat shield mechanism, and a heat shield portion 43 formed in a mesh structure inside the outer portion 42. .

The configuration of the outer portion 42 may be formed in various shapes or structures according to the shape and structure of the container 21 similarly to the outer frame 32 of the heating mechanism 31. However, the outer portion 32 of the heat shield mechanism 41 is preferably made of a material that can block the heat, unlike the outer frame 32 of the heating mechanism 31.

The heat shield 43 is configured to pass through the deposition material stored in the container 21 and is configured to block heat transferred from the upper heating mechanism 31.

The heat shield 43 has a width 43b that separates the hole 43a and the hole 43a of the mesh from the upper side to the lower side so that the thermal barrier area can be enlarged while easily passing between the deposition materials. It is preferably formed narrowly, and conversely, each hole 43a is preferably formed wider from the upper side to the lower side.

In addition, the heat shield 43 is preferably formed of the same material as the outer portion 42 of the heat shield mechanism 41, or is formed of a material capable of thermal cut, that is, low heat transfer material. For example, it can be comprised from nonmetallic materials, such as a composite resin material and ceramics, or metallic materials, such as stainless steel with low thermal conductivity.

On the other hand, it is also possible to configure by installing only one of the heat shield mechanism 41, in the drawings of the embodiment according to the present invention, a plurality of heat shield mechanism 41 (two in the figure) at regular intervals between the deposition material Show the deployed configuration.

The reason why the plurality of thermal barrier mechanisms 41 are installed is to minimize heat transfer to the deposition material stored under the container 21. In this way, it is also possible to install and configure three or more.

At this time, it is preferable that the heat blocking mechanism 41 disposed up and down is alternately arranged with the holes 43a of the mesh as illustrated in FIG. 1 to increase the heat blocking effect.

It is preferable that the thermal cut-off mechanism 41 composed of one or a plurality as described above is also configured to be able to move up and down inside the container 21. This is configured to block the heat transferred from the heating mechanism 31 while moving the thermal barrier device 41 between the deposition materials according to the storage amount of the deposition material stored in the container 21, that is, the height.

For vertical driving of the heat shield mechanism 41, a shutoff driving mechanism 45 is connected to the inside of the container 21 from the outside of the container 21.

The shutoff drive mechanism 45 is the same as the heating drive mechanism 35 described above, and as illustrated in FIG. 4, the wire 46, the roller 47, the winding roller 48, a winding motor (not shown), and the like. It can be configured as. At this time, the wire 36 constitutes the wire rod of the present invention, and the winding roller 37 and the winding motor constitute the winding mechanism of the present invention.

When the heat blocking mechanism 41 is configured as two as illustrated in the drawings, each of the heat blocking mechanism 41 may be configured using a wire 36 and a winding mechanism, or may be connected together. Moreover, it is also possible to comprise together with the heating drive mechanism 35 of the heating mechanism 31 mentioned above. At this time, each wire can be configured to connect the heating mechanism, the heat-blocking mechanism together.

On the other hand, it is also possible to move the thermal cut-off mechanism 41 up and down by configuring the entire wire 36 in an endless type as shown by the dotted line in FIG. At this time, since the thermal barrier mechanism 41 can be pulled from the lower side, the thermal barrier mechanism 41 can be more easily moved even if some resistance occurs inside the deposition material. Of course, it is preferable that a hole is formed in the lower side of the container 21 so that the wire 36 can pass, and a sealing member having a sealing function is provided in this hole.

FIG. 5 is a view showing another embodiment of the shutoff driving mechanism 45 for driving the heat blocking mechanism 41. In contrast to the above-described embodiment, FIG. 5 does not use the wire 46 and is formed outside the container 21. It is comprised so that the heat-transfer mechanism 41 can be moved up and down using the drive magnetic body 51. FIG.

The outer portion 42 of the thermal barrier mechanism 41 is preferably made of a ferromagnetic material made of iron, nickel, cobalt or an alloy thereof, etc., attached to a magnet or magnetic material.

The driving magnetic material 51 may be configured in various ways according to the implementation conditions as long as the driving magnetic material 51 has a structure capable of moving the heat shield mechanism 41 from the outside of the container 21. Preferably, the driving magnetic body 51 is formed in a ring structure that moves up and down along the outer surface of the container 21. That is, if the container 21 is a hexahedral structure, it will be comprised by the square ring structure.

The drive magnetic body 51 is configured to be moved up and down by a linear drive mechanism, the linear drive mechanism can be configured using a known ball screw, linear motor, hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder and the like. In addition, it is also possible to configure the drive magnetic material 51 to move up and down using the belts 55 as illustrated in the figure.

On the other hand, the inner surface of the container 21 and the outer surface of the container 21, the linear movement guide mechanism 22 (57) which can guide the vertical movement of the heat-blocking mechanism 41 and the vertical movement of the driving magnetic body 51. Is preferably provided respectively.

In the present invention as described above, the deposition material is stored in the container 21 initially, as shown in FIG. 1, the heating mechanism 31 is heated in a state in which the upper part of the container 21 is disposed, and the train However, the mechanism 41 is located in the middle of the deposition material to block heat so that the deposition material stored below the container 21 is prevented from deteriorating.

In such a state, as shown in FIG. 2, when the upper deposition material is evaporated to lower the height of the deposition material, the heating mechanism 31 descends to heat the deposition material, and the thermal barrier device 41 is also inside the deposition material. It will cut off heat while descending. Of course, when the height of the deposition material stored in the container 21 is below a certain level, it is no longer necessary to block the heat, so that the thermal cutoff mechanism 41 is located at the bottom of the container 21.

The vertical movement of the heating mechanism 31 and the heat shielding mechanism 41 may be operated by a drive signal of a controller (not shown) according to a detection result of the sensing mechanism 25 installed in the container and sensing the height of the deposition material. It is preferable to be configured to.

As described above, the technical ideas described in the embodiments of the present invention can be performed independently of each other, and can be implemented in combination with each other. While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is possible. Accordingly, the technical scope of the present invention should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims (10)

A container in which the deposition material is stored;
A heating mechanism for heating the upper side of the deposition material stored inside the vessel within the vessel;
A heat shield mechanism positioned to be spaced downward from the heating mechanism in the deposition material stored in the container, wherein the heat shield mechanism is generated by the heating mechanism and transferred to the deposition material located above the heat shield mechanism. Deposition material supply apparatus characterized in that the transfer to the deposition material located below the thermal barrier mechanism is blocked.
The method according to claim 1,
Deposition material supply apparatus characterized in that the container is provided with a detector for detecting the storage degree of the deposition material.
The method according to claim 1,
The heating mechanism is a deposition material supply apparatus, characterized in that configured to be moved up and down by the heating drive mechanism.
delete A container in which the deposition material is stored;
A heating mechanism for heating the upper side of the deposition material stored inside the vessel;
It includes a thermal barrier mechanism located in the deposition material stored in the container to block the heat generated by the heating mechanism, the thermal barrier mechanism is made of a mesh structure to pass through the deposition material,
In the thermal barrier mechanism, a cross section for distinguishing between the hole of the mesh and the hole is formed as the width becomes narrower from the upper side to the lower side.
A container in which the deposition material is stored;
A heating mechanism for heating the upper side of the deposition material stored inside the vessel;
And a plurality of thermal barrier mechanisms positioned in the deposition material stored in the container to block heat generated by the heating mechanism, wherein the plurality of thermal barrier devices are disposed in the deposition material at regular intervals up and down. Evaporation material supply device.
The method of claim 6,
The plurality of thermal barrier mechanism is formed of a mesh structure to pass through the deposition material, the deposition material supply apparatus, characterized in that the holes of the mesh are alternately arranged in a horizontal direction between each other.
A container in which the deposition material is stored;
A heating mechanism for heating the upper side of the deposition material stored inside the vessel;
And a heat blocking mechanism positioned in the deposition material stored in the container to block heat generated by the heating mechanism, wherein the heat blocking mechanism is configured to be moved up and down by a blocking drive mechanism disposed outside the container. Deposition material supply apparatus characterized in that.
The method of claim 8, wherein the blocking drive mechanism,
A wire rod connected inward from the outside of the container;
Deposition material supply device characterized in that consisting of a winding mechanism for pulling or releasing the wire rod.
A deposition chamber having a deposition space portion in which a substrate is introduced to deposit the substrate;
Claims 1 to 3, 5 to 7 characterized in that the deposition material supply apparatus for supplying a deposition material in the deposition space portion.

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