KR101982723B1 - Oranic material deposition apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an organic material deposition apparatus capable of adjusting the spray angle. The present invention is a deposition apparatus including an induction tube for connecting a distribution tube and an evaporation source, wherein the distribution tube is rotatably supported about an axis formed in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the distribution tube, And a flexible region moving in conjunction with rotation of the distribution pipe is formed. This provides an advantageous effect that the injection direction of the distribution hole can be adjusted without disassembling the distribution pipe.

Description

[0001] ORANIC MATERIAL DEPOSITION APPARATUS [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an organic material deposition apparatus, and more particularly, to an organic material deposition apparatus capable of adjusting a spray angle of a dispensing hole.

Deposition refers to a phenomenon in which an atom, molecule or particle evaporated in a gaseous state meets a substrate and condenses back to a solid state on the surface, and a deposition apparatus means a series of devices for depositing a deposition material on a substrate to form a thin film do.

Recently, an organic electroluminescent device is manufactured by forming an organic luminescent layer on a substrate under a vacuum condition using a vapor deposition apparatus. Here, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) is a device in which electrons and holes are poured into an organic light emitting layer formed between an electron injection electrode (cathode) and a hole injection electrode (anode) .

Such a deposition apparatus has a vacuum chamber and an evaporation source for evaporating a source and supplying the evaporation source into the vacuum chamber. And a substrate is disposed in the vacuum chamber so as to face the evaporation source. Further, the vapor deposition apparatus may be provided with a distribution pipe. The distribution pipe serves to distribute the supply of the evaporation source so that the evaporation source can reach the entire area of the substrate.

On the other hand, as the organic material source, various host materials and dopant materials are used depending on the kind of deposition material. The deposition material is formed by mixing and evaporating the evaporation source of the host material and the dopant material at an appropriate ratio. In order to mix and deposit the host material and the dopant material, an evaporation source and a distribution tube are provided by the number of the host material and the dopant material.

For the mixed deposition of the host material and the dopant material, the injection direction of the distribution hole of the host distribution pipe and the injection direction of the distribution hole of the dopant distribution pipe are mutually crossed. The dispense direction of the dispense holes corresponds to important deposition conditions. Thus, the conventional distribution pipe is fixed so as not to move in the vacuum chamber so that the injection direction of the distribution hole is not changed.

Therefore, in order to change the injection direction of the distribution hole, the distribution pipe must be disassembled to adjust the position of the distribution hole, and then the disassembled distribution pipe must be assembled. Considering that the injection direction of the dispensing hole may be changed frequently depending on the deposition conditions, a series of processes for disassembling and assembling the dispensing pipe to change the dispensing direction of the dispensing hole is very troublesome and takes a long time have.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a deposition apparatus capable of adjusting the spraying direction of a dispensing hole without disassembling the dispensing pipe.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a deposition apparatus including an induction tube for connecting a distribution tube and an evaporation source, wherein the distribution tube is rotatable about an axis formed in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the distribution tube And the induction pipe is formed with a flexible region moving in conjunction with rotation of the distribution pipe.

Preferably, the rotating shaft may be coupled to the distribution pipe.

Preferably, the distribution pipe is included in the vacuum chamber, and the rotation axis may be coupled to the distribution pipe through the vacuum chamber outside the vacuum chamber.

Preferably, the distribution pipe is included in the vacuum chamber, and at least one support block coupled to the inner surface of the vacuum chamber and rotatably supporting the distribution pipe may be further included.

Preferably, in the flexible region, when the distribution pipe rotates, one of the flexible region may be elongated and the other of the flexible region may be elongated and contracted based on a vertical extension line passing through the longitudinal center of the distribution pipe.

The apparatus may further include a dispensing angle adjusting unit coupled to the rotating shaft in a power transmitting manner to supply a rotating force in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the rotating shaft.

The apparatus may further include a dispensing angle adjusting unit for applying a linear movement force to the dispensing tube to supply a rotational force to the dispensing tube so that a rotational moment is generated about the rotational axis.

Preferably, the spray angle adjusting unit includes: a vertical moving unit formed at a lower portion of the distribution pipe and linearly moving in a direction orthogonal to an axial direction of the rotating shaft; and a vertical moving unit connected to the rotating shaft and the vertical moving unit, And a variable hinge unit for converting a linear displacement of the vertical moving unit into an angular displacement of the rotary shaft.

Preferably, the vertical moving part is connected to the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber, and contacts the lower part of either one of the distribution pipes with respect to a vertical extension line passing through the longitudinal center of the distribution pipe, A second lead which is connected to the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber and contacts the lower portion of the other of the first and second leads with respect to the vertical extension line and linearly moves in the height direction according to the rotation operation, Wherein the variable hinge portion converts a displacement difference between a linear displacement of the first lead screw and a linear displacement of the second lead screw moving portion into an angular displacement of the rotation axis, can do.

According to the evaporation apparatus of the present invention, since the induction tube having the distribution tube supported rotatably about the axis formed in the direction parallel to the longitudinal direction and the flexible region interlocked with the rotation of the distribution tube, It is possible to adjust the spray direction of the dispenser without disassembling the dispenser.

Further, according to the deposition apparatus of the present invention, since the spray angle adjusting unit that transmits the rotational force to the rotating shaft connected to the distribution pipe is provided, it is possible to provide an advantageous effect of increasing the convenience in adjusting the spray direction of the dispensing hole.

Further, according to the deposition apparatus of the present invention, by providing the vertically moving unit that linearly moves in the height direction in response to the user's rotation operation, the spraying direction of the dispensing holes can be easily adjusted with a simpler structure do. In addition, the height of the dispensing hole can be adjusted by using the vertical moving part.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view showing the construction of a conventional vapor deposition apparatus,
Fig. 2 is a view showing a configuration of a common distribution pipe arranged in two rows, Fig.
3 is a front view showing a configuration of a deposition apparatus according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention,
4 is a side view showing a configuration in which the first modification of the spray angle adjusting portion is applied in the embodiment shown in Fig. 3,
FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a configuration to which the first modification of the spray angle adjusting portion is applied in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3;
Fig. 6 is a front view to which the second modification of the spray angle adjusting portion is applied in the embodiment shown in Fig. 3,
Fig. 7 is a side view to which the second modification of the spray angle adjusting portion is applied in the embodiment shown in Fig. 3
FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a second modified example of the spray angle adjusting portion in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3,
9 is a front view showing a configuration for adjusting a vertical distance between a substrate and a dispensing hole using a second modification of the dispense angle adjusting unit.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components throughout the drawings. In addition, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below, but it is needless to say that the technical idea of the present invention is not limited thereto and can be variously modified by those skilled in the art.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a configuration of a conventional vapor deposition apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a view showing a configuration of a common distribution pipe arranged in two rows.

Referring to FIG. 1, the illustrated deposition apparatus includes a distribution tube 30 in a vacuum chamber 40. The distribution pipe 30 is connected to the evaporation source 10 and the induction pipe 20 to receive the evaporation source. The distribution pipe 30 is linearly formed, and a plurality of distribution holes 30a are aligned upward in the longitudinal direction. Two or more of the distributing pipes 30 may be arranged in parallel in the vacuum chamber 40 according to the deposition method. The substrate S is disposed on such a distribution pipe 30.

Referring to FIG. 2, the host distribution pipe 31 and the dopant distribution pipe 32, which are linearly formed, are provided in two rows in the y-axis direction of FIG. Each of the distribution pipes 31 and 32 may be provided with heating elements including a heater.

At this time, the injection direction of the distribution hole 31a of the host distribution pipe 31 and the injection direction of the distribution hole 32a of the dopant distribution pipe 32 are mutually crossed. This is to mix the host material and the dopant material and deposit them on the substrate. The support block 50 supports the lower portion of the distribution pipes 31 and 21 in a state in which the distribution pipes 31 and 32 are set so that the injection directions of the distribution holes 31a and 32a cross each other. And the support block 50 is fixed in the vacuum chamber 40.

However, according to this structure, there is a problem that the support block 50 and the distribution pipes 31 and 32 are disassembled and reassembled to change the injection direction of the distribution holes 31a and 32a. Further, there is a problem in that the structure of the support block 50 must be changed in accordance with the ejection direction of the dispensing holes 31a, 32a.

In order to solve the above-described problems caused by the structure in which the distributing pipe is fixed in a predetermined jetting direction in the vacuum chamber, the present invention is characterized in that the distribution pipe is rotated about the axis formed in the direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the distributing pipe There is a technical feature that can be done.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a configuration of a deposition apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 clearly illustrates only the main feature parts in order to clearly understand the present invention, and as a result various variations of the illustration are expected, and the scope of the present invention need not be limited by the specific shapes shown in the drawings .

Hereinafter, in describing a deposition apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the distribution pipe to be referred to includes not only a distribution pipe not including a heating element but also a module type distribution pipe including a heating element , Hereinafter referred to as " distribution pipe ".

3, the deposition apparatus shown includes a distribution pipe 100 rotatably supported on an arbitrary axis formed in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction (y-axis direction in FIG. 3) of the distribution pipe 100, And an induction tube 200 in which a flexible region 310 is formed.

First, the distribution pipe 100 will be described.

The distribution pipe 100 is configured to be rotatable about an arbitrary axis formed in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction (y-axis direction in Fig. 3). Accordingly, in order to change the spraying angle of the dispensing hole 110, it is not necessary to disassemble the dispensing tube 100.

3, a virtual vertical extension line passing through the longitudinal centers C1 and C2 of the distribution pipes 100 (100A and 100B) and perpendicular to the substrate S is referred to as L1 in FIG. 3 L2 and a virtual extension line passing through the centers of the distribution holes 110A and 110B and the longitudinal centers C1 and C2 of the distribution pipes 100A and 100B is defined as S1 and S3 in FIG. (R1) formed by S1, and an angle (R2) formed by L2 and S2.

The deposition apparatus shown in FIG. 3 includes a first distribution pipe 100A for spraying an evaporation source of a dopant material and a second distribution pipe 100B for spraying an evaporation source of a host material. In one embodiment, the first distribution pipe 100A for spraying the evaporation source of the dopant material is illustrated as one, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and two or more distribution pipes for spraying the evaporation source of the dopant material may be disposed .

The distribution pipes 100A and 100B are formed in a cylindrical shape. The rotary shafts 300 (300A, 300B) are coupled to at least one of both ends of the distribution pipes 100A, 100B. The rotary shafts 300A and 300B are connected to the distribution tubes 100A and 100B so that the centers of the rotary shafts 300A and 300B are aligned with the centers of the longitudinal centers C1 and C2 of the distribution tubes 100A and 100B Can

Meanwhile, the distribution pipe 100 is rotatably supported about the rotation shafts 300A and 300B by a plurality of support blocks 400 (400A and 400B) (see FIG. 4 to be described later). The lower surface of the support block 400 is coupled to the inner surface of the vacuum chamber 40 and the upper surface of the support block 400 is in slidable contact with the lower periphery of the distribution pipe 100 to guide the rotation of the distribution pipe 100 .

As described above, the distribution pipe 100 connected to the induction pipe rotates about an axis formed in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the distribution pipe 100, so that the flow of the evaporation source from the evaporation source to the distribution pipe 100 There is a problem in securing the communication and airtightness. The construction of the induction pipe 200 to be described later is required.

Next, the induction pipe 200 will be described.

The induction tube 200 has a flexible region 210 that moves in conjunction with the above-described distribution tube 100 when it rotates. Thus, the induction pipe 200 secures the communication and airtightness between the evaporation source and the distributor pipe 100 with respect to the flow of the evaporation source even when the distributor pipe 100 rotates.

A portion of the induction pipe 200 in contact with the distribution pipe 100 is formed as a flexible region 210. However, the entire induction tube 200 may be formed in the flexible region 210. The flexible region 210 is made of a flexible material and moves in conjunction with rotation of the distribution pipe 100.

Referring to FIG. 3, in one embodiment, the flexible region 310 of the induction tube 200 may be provided in the form of a corrugated tube. When the distribution pipe 100 rotates, the flexible region 210 is elongated (I in Fig. 3) and elongated and contracted in the other direction with reference to the vertical extension lines L1 and L2 (see Fig. 3C The flexible region 210 of the induction pipe 200 according to the present invention is not limited to the corrugated pipe shape as described above and may be modified in various ways as long as the flexible region 210 moves in conjunction with rotation of the distribution pipe 100 .

Next, the spray angle adjusting unit 500 will be described.

The spray angle adjusting unit 500 serves to supply and control the rotational force to the distribution pipe 100 so as to adjust the spray angle. The spray angle adjusting unit 500 may be exemplified in the first and second modified examples to be described below in accordance with a method of generating a rotational force in the distribution pipe 100. However, the present invention is not limited by these modifications, and it is possible to carry out the entire or partial modification in various mechanical configurations for supplying the rotational force to the distribution pipe 100.

The first modification of the spray angle adjusting unit 500

Fig. 4 is a side view showing a configuration in which a first modification of the dispense angle adjuster is applied in the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the first modification of the dispense angle adjuster Fig. 7 is a plan view showing an applied configuration.

4 and 5, the rotating shaft 300 passes through the vacuum chamber 40 outside the vacuum chamber 40 and is coupled to the distribution tube 100. A magnetic fluid (M) is provided as a sealing device in the gap between the vacuum chamber (40) and the rotating shaft (300). Here, the magnetic fluid is a type of sealing device used to prevent the leakage of liquid or gas. The magnetic fluid is held in the gap between the vacuum chamber 40 and the rotary shaft 300 along the magnetic flux line formed by the magnet, It functions like a liquid O-ring.

The first modification of the spray angle adjusting unit 500 supplies rotational force to the above-described rotating shaft 300. In one embodiment, the dispense angle adjuster 500 includes a motor 510 that generates a rotational force. The rotation shaft of the motor 510 is connected to the reduction gear 520 and the reduction gear 520 is connected to the rotation shaft 300. The control unit 530 is connected to the motor 510 to control the driving of the motor 510. The control unit 530 may be connected to an evaporation amount sensor Q (for example, QCM (Quartz Crystal Microbalance)) installed in the vacuum chamber 40 to receive evaporation amount information. The control unit 530 can control the degree of rotation of the motor 510 based on the inputted evaporation amount information.

When the motor 510 is rotated by the control unit 530 based on the manipulation or evaporation amount information of the user, the reduced rotational speed of the reduction gear 520 is transmitted to the rotary shaft 300. As the rotary shaft 300 rotates, the distribution tube 100 rotates about the rotary shaft 300. At this time, the rotational displacement of the rotary shaft 300 is appropriately designed corresponding to the spraying angle of the dispensing hole 110 according to the deposition condition.

The spray angle adjusting unit 500 includes the motor 510. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various changes and modifications may be made to the present invention as long as the rotation axis 300 is provided with a rotational force.

The second modification of the spray angle adjusting unit 500

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a configuration in which a second modification of the ejection angle adjusting unit is applied in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 7 is a side view showing a configuration to which the second modification of the ejection angle adjusting unit is applied, 8 is a plan view showing a configuration to which the second modification of the jet angle adjusting portion is applied.

6 to 8, the rotary shaft 300 is rotatably coupled to the variable hinge portion 550. [ Specifically, it is rotatably fitted in a guide hole 551 of an elongated shape formed in the variable hinge portion 550. Thus, the rotary shaft 300 can be rotated not only in the guide hole 551, but also in the vertical direction (the z-axis direction in Figs. 6 and 7) along the guide hole 551. [ A lower part of the distribution pipe 100 is provided with a stage 543 contacting the vertically moving part 540 and a connection block 544 connecting the lower part of the distribution pipe 100 and the stage 543.

The second modification of the spray angle adjusting portion 500 is a method of applying a linear movement force to the distribution pipe 100 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction (for example, the z-axis direction in Figs. 6 and 7) 300 as a center of rotation. The spray angle adjusting unit 500 includes a vertical moving unit 540 and a variable hinge unit 550.

In one embodiment, the vertically moving portions 540 (540A, 540B) are formed at the lower portion of the distribution pipe 100 and linearly move in the vertical direction (the z-axis direction in Figs. 6 and 7). The vertical moving unit 540 includes first and second lead screws 541 and 542 installed on the left and right sides of the vertical extension line (L1 and L2 in FIG. 6). The first and second lead screws 541 and 542 have a circular cylindrical shape with a hollow therein and are formed with regular threads on the outer periphery regularly in the longitudinal direction. The first and second lead screws 541 and 542 are screwed to the base 545 provided on the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber 40.

Screw holes corresponding to the threads of the first and second lead screws 541 and 542 are provided in the base 545 inside the base 545. The base 545 is fixed to the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber 40 so that the first and second lead screws 541 and 542 rotated by the thread-screw connection are vertically movable (z in FIGS. 6 and 7) Axis direction).

The heads of the first and second lead screws 541 and 542 contact the lower surface of the stage 543.

The variable hinge unit 550 (550A, 550B) serves to convert the linear displacement of the vertically moving unit 540 into the angular displacement of the rotary shaft 300 as described above. Specifically, the displacement difference between the linear displacement of the first lead screw 541 and the linear displacement of the second lead screw 542 is converted into the angular displacement of the rotary shaft 300.

The variable hinge portion 540 is connected to the rotary shaft 300 and the base 545. A guide hole 551 is formed in the variable hinge portion 550. The rotation shaft 300 is inserted into the guide hole 551 as described above.

Referring to FIG. 6, a process of changing the spray angle of the distribution pipe 100 using the second modification of the spray angle adjuster 500 will be described.

First, the first lead screw 541A provided at the lower portion of the distribution pipe 100A disposed at one side and screwed to the base 545A is rotated and moved upward. When the first lead screw 541A moves upward, the head of the first lead screw 541A pushes the left side of the lower surface of the stage 543A. As a result, the distribution pipe 100A rotates clockwise about the rotary shaft 300A fitted to the variable hinge portion 550A.

Further, the second lead screw 542B, which is provided at the lower part of the distribution pipe 100B disposed on the other side and screwed to the base 545B, is rotated and moved upward. When the second lead screw 542B moves upward, the head of the second lead screw 542B pushes the lower right side of the stage 543B formed at the lower portion of the distributing pipe 100B. Thus, it rotates in the counterclockwise direction about the rotary shaft 300B fitted to the variable hinge portion 550. [

The user can control the amount of rotational displacement of the first lead screw 541A and the second lead screw 542B until the distribution holes 110A and 110B of the distribution pipes 100A and 100B reach the target injection angle .

The second modified example of the spray angle adjusting portion 500 having the above configuration can be respectively installed at the lower portions of both ends of the distribution pipes 100A and 100B as shown in Figs. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the installation position and the number of the spray angle adjusting part 500 may be variously changed according to the shape of the distribution pipe and the structure of the vacuum chamber.

9 is a front view showing a configuration for adjusting a vertical distance between a substrate and a dispensing hole using a second modification of the dispense angle adjusting unit.

Referring to FIG. 9, the deposition apparatus shown in FIG. 5 can adjust the spray angle by using the vertically moving unit 540 of the spray angle adjusting unit 500, as well as adjusting the vertical distance between the substrate S and the dispensing hole 110 (D).

When the first lead screw 541 and the second lead screw 542 of the distribution pipe are rotated and moved upward, D of FIG. 9 can be adjusted. At this time, it is needless to say that the dispensing angle can be controlled through the displacement difference between the first lead screw 541 and the second lead screw 542.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications, substitutions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. will be. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention and the accompanying drawings are intended to illustrate and not to limit the technical spirit of the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments and the accompanying drawings . The scope of protection of the present invention should be construed according to the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope of equivalents should be construed as falling within the scope of the present invention.

100: minute piping
110: Distributor ball
200: induction tube
210: Flexible area
300:
400: support block
500:
510: Motor
520: reduction gear
530:
540:
541: first lead screw
542: second lead screw
543: stage
544: Connection block
550: variable hinge portion
551: Guide hole

Claims (9)

A vapor deposition apparatus comprising an induction tube for connecting a distribution pipe and an evaporation source,
Wherein the distribution pipe is linearly formed and rotatably coupled to a rotation axis formed in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the distribution pipe,
Wherein the induction pipe is formed with a flexible region moving in conjunction with rotation of the distribution pipe. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the distribution tube is contained in a vacuum chamber and the rotation axis is coupled to the distribution tube through the vacuum chamber outside the vacuum chamber. The method according to claim 1,
The distribution tube is contained inside the vacuum chamber,
Further comprising: at least one support block coupled to an inner surface of the vacuum chamber to rotatably support the distribution tube. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the flexible region is elongated with respect to a vertical extension line passing through a longitudinal center of the distribution pipe when the distribution pipe rotates, and the other is elongated and contracted with respect to the other. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Further comprising a spray angle adjusting unit coupled to the rotating shaft to transmit power in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the rotating shaft. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Further comprising a dispensing angle adjusting unit for applying a linear movement force to the dispensing tube to supply a rotational force to the dispensing tube so that a rotational moment is generated around the rotational axis. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the spray angle adjuster comprises:
A vertical moving part formed at a lower portion of the distribution pipe and linearly moving in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the distribution pipe;
A variable hinge unit connected to the rotation shaft and the vertical movement unit and converting a linear displacement of the vertical movement unit into an angular displacement of the rotation axis;
Wherein the deposition apparatus further comprises: 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the vertical moving part comprises:
A first lead screw connected to a bottom surface of the vacuum chamber and contacting a lower portion of one of the distributing pipes with respect to a vertical extension line passing through a longitudinal center of the distribution pipe, screw;
And a second lead screw connected to the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber and contacting the other lower portion with respect to the vertical extension line and linearly moving in the height direction according to the rotation operation,
The variable hinge unit includes:
Wherein a displacement of the linear displacement of the first lead screw and a displacement of the linear displacement of the second lead screw moving part are converted into angular displacements of the rotation axis.

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