KR102165854B1 - Evaporation apparatus and method of forming a thin film using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a deposition apparatus and a method of forming a thin film using the deposition apparatus. The deposition apparatus may include a chuck, a source film, a heating member, and a mask. The chuck supports the substrate and may move along a first direction parallel to an upper surface of the substrate. The source film is disposed above the chuck and may move along a second direction parallel to the upper surface of the substrate. The heating member is positioned above the source film, and partially heats the source film. The mask is disposed between the source film and the chuck, and includes a plurality of openings.

Description

Evaporation apparatus and thin film formation method using the same {EVAPORATION APPARATUS AND METHOD OF FORMING A THIN FILM USING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to a deposition apparatus and a method of forming a thin film using the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a deposition apparatus capable of reducing maintenance time and a thin film forming method using the same.

Flat panel displays include liquid crystal displays (LCD) and plasma displays (PDP). Recently, organic light displays due to their advantages such as low voltage driving, light weight, thinness, wide viewing angle, and high-speed response. emitting diode) is in the spotlight.

An organic light-emitting display device is a display device in which an emission layer made of an organic material emit light by itself, and is divided into a passive matrix and an active matrix according to a driving method.

Meanwhile, the organic light emitting display device may be divided into a low molecular type and a high molecular type according to the molecular weight of the hole injection layer (HIL) and the emission layer (EML).

In a low-molecular type organic light emitting display device, an organic layer such as an emission layer may be formed by an evaporation process. In this method, the organic material is evaporated through evaporation and then phase changes while contacting a substrate with a low temperature to form a solid organic layer. On the other hand, if an organic material source becomes insufficient in the deposition process, the process becomes unstable because the process must be stopped and organic materials must be replenished. Therefore, a deposition apparatus capable of reducing the maintenance time when the process is stopped is being studied.

An object of the present invention is to provide a deposition apparatus having improved productivity and stability.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for forming a thin film using a deposition apparatus having improved productivity and stability.

However, the problem to be solved by the present invention is not limited to the above-described problems, and may be variously expanded without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In order to achieve an object of the present invention, a deposition apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention may include a chuck, a source film, a heating member, and a mask. The chuck supports the substrate and may move along a first direction parallel to an upper surface of the substrate. The source film is disposed above the chuck and may move along a second direction parallel to the upper surface of the substrate. The heating member is positioned above the source film, and partially heats the source film. The mask is disposed between the source film and the chuck, and includes a plurality of openings.

In example embodiments, the source film may include a base film and an organic material layer, and may have a strip shape extending in one direction.

In example embodiments, the source film may continuously move along the second direction. The moving speed of the source film may be adjusted so that the organic material layer of the source film is consumed when the source film passes through the heating region overlapping the heating member.

In example embodiments, the source film may have a predetermined ductility and may be wound in a roll form.

In example embodiments, the heating member may heat the source film using joule heat.

In example embodiments, the heating member may heat the source film using a laser beam.

In example embodiments, the chuck may contact a lower surface of the substrate, and may support the substrate by the weight of the substrate.

In example embodiments, the first direction and the second direction may be substantially vertical.

In order to achieve another object of the present invention, in the method of forming a thin film according to embodiments of the present invention, a substrate is disposed on a chuck. A source film is disposed above the chuck, and the source film is continuously moved along a second direction parallel to the upper surface of the substrate. The source film is partially heated using a heating member. The organic material evaporated from the source film is deposited on the substrate. Using the chuck, the substrate is moved along a first direction parallel to the upper surface of the substrate.

In example embodiments, in the step of continuously moving the source film, when the source film passes through a heating area overlapping with the heating member, the moving speed is adjusted so that the organic material of the source film is consumed. I can.

The deposition equipment according to embodiments of the present invention may include a chuck, a source film, a heating member, and a mask. Since the chuck supports the substrate and can move along a first direction, a thin film can be formed using the mask having an area smaller than that of the substrate. In addition, the source film includes an organic material layer and a base film supporting the same, and may continuously move along the second direction. Accordingly, in order to compensate for the organic material consumed in the deposition process, it is possible to reduce the time required to stop the process and maintain it.

However, the effects of the present invention are not limited thereto, and may be variously extended without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a deposition apparatus and a method of forming a thin film using the deposition apparatus according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a deposition apparatus according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view illustrating a deposition apparatus and a method of forming a thin film using the deposition apparatus according to other exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

With respect to the embodiments of the present invention disclosed in the text, specific structural or functional descriptions have been exemplified only for the purpose of describing the embodiments of the present invention, and the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in various forms. It should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described in.

Since the present invention can apply various changes and have various forms, specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to a specific form of disclosure, it is to be understood as including all changes, equivalents, or substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Terms such as first and second may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. The terms may be used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, a second component may be referred to as a first component.

When a component is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another component, it is understood that it may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but other components may exist in the middle. Should be. On the other hand, when a component is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there is no other component in the middle. Other expressions describing the relationship between components, such as "between" and "just between" or "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to" should be interpreted as well.

The terms used in the present application are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In the present application, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to designate the presence of a set feature, number, step, action, component, part, or combination thereof, and one or more other features or numbers It is to be understood that the possibility of addition or presence of, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof is not preliminarily excluded.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Terms as defined in a commonly used dictionary should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning of the context of the related technology, and should not be interpreted as an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in this application. .

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals are used for the same elements in the drawings, and duplicate descriptions for the same elements are omitted.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a deposition apparatus according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention and a method of forming a thin film using the deposition apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a deposition apparatus according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention. It is a cross-sectional view.

Referring to FIG. 1, in the method of forming a thin film, the substrate 100 may be disposed under the deposition apparatus 200 (specifically, the mask 250 ).

The substrate 100 may be a base substrate supporting components of the display device. For example, the substrate 100 may include a glass substrate, a transparent plastic substrate, a transparent ceramic substrate, or the like. Although not shown, components of a display device such as thin film transistors or electrodes may be disposed on the substrate 100.

In one deposition cycle, the deposition apparatus 200 may deposit a thin film on only a portion of the substrate 100. After the one deposition cycle is performed, the substrate 100 may move along a first direction parallel to the upper surface of the substrate 100. As the deposition cycles and movement of the substrate 100 are repeatedly performed, the thin film may be formed entirely on the upper surface of the substrate 100.

Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2, the deposition apparatus 200 may include a heating member 210, a source film 220, a connection member 230, and a mask 250.

The heating member 210 serves to evaporate the organic material layer 224 of the source film 220 by heating the source film 220 to be described later. The heating member 210 may be disposed to partially overlap the source film 220, and thus, only a portion of the source film 220 may be heated.

In example embodiments, the heating member 210 may be heated through joule's heat by connecting power to a metal wire having high electrical resistance.

In example embodiments, the heating member 210 may have a planar shape that is parallel to the upper surface of the substrate 100 and extends along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, as shown in FIG. 1. have. Accordingly, a heating zone of the source film 220 heated by the heating member 210 may also have a length greater in the second direction than in the first direction.

In other exemplary embodiments, a plurality of heating members 210 may be disposed along the second direction. Accordingly, the heating members 210 may form an array, and the heating region may have a length greater in the second direction than in the first direction.

Meanwhile, the source film 220 may have a strip shape having a length extending in one direction and may have ductility. In an exemplary embodiment, the source film 220 may be wound in a roll shape, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Accordingly, the source film 220 may occupy a relatively small volume.

The source film 220 may include at least a base film 222 and an organic material layer 224.

The base film 222 may include a transparent polymer material having mechanical support. For example, the base film 222 is a transparent polymer such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyester, polyacryl, polyepoxy, polyethylene, polystyrene, etc. (polymer) may be included. The base film 222 may have a predetermined ductility, and accordingly, may be wound in a roll shape.

The organic material layer 224 may be sequentially disposed on the base film 222, and accordingly, the source film 220 may have a multilayer structure. The organic material layer 224 may include substantially the same material as a thin film to be formed through the deposition equipment 200. For example, the organic material layer 224 comprises a hole injection layer (HIL), a hole transport layer (HTL), an electron injection layer (EIL), an electron transport layer (ETL), and a light emitting layer (EML) of an organic light emitting display. It may contain molecular weight organic matter. The organic material layer 224 has a solid state, but may be vaporized when heated by the heating member 210.

Since the organic material layer 224 is fixed on the base film 222, it may be disposed above the substrate 100. That is, in a typical conventional deposition equipment, the organic material is accommodated in a container such as a crucible, and since the organic material may have a liquid state while the crucible is heated, the organic material may be evaporated only upward. On the other hand, in the deposition apparatus 200 according to the present invention, since the organic material layer 224 is fixed on the base film 222, it is disposed above the substrate 100, so that the organic material is lowered toward the substrate 100. Can be evaporated. Accordingly, the substrate 100 may be fixed by the chuck 240 disposed under the substrate 100, and thus the substrate 100 may be stably fixed or moved. As a result, it is possible to solve the problem of dropping the substrate 100 during the deposition process.

Meanwhile, in the thin film forming process, the end of the source film 220 may be released from the roll and may move along the second direction parallel to the upper surface of the substrate 100.

In example embodiments, while performing the deposition cycle, the source film 220 may continuously move at a relatively slow speed along the second direction. The moving speed may be adjusted so that the organic material layer 224 of the source film 220 may be consumed when the source film 220 passes through the heating region overlapping the heating member 210. As a result, the deposition process may not be stopped in order to supply an organic material as a deposition source, thereby improving productivity of the deposition apparatus 200 and saving maintenance time.

In other exemplary embodiments, when the deposition cycle is repeatedly performed over several tens to thousands of times, the organic material layer 224 of the source film 220 overlapping the heating member 210 may be consumed. have. In this case, the source film 220 may move along the second direction, and the source film 220 overlapping the heating member 210 may be disposed to include the organic material layer 224. That is, the deposition cycle may be performed using a new portion of the source film 220. As a result, it is possible to continuously supply an organic material as a deposition source without stopping the deposition process, and it is possible to save maintenance time.

In the deposition process, the rate at which the organic material evaporates is the amount of the organic material located on the portion of the source film 220 that overlaps the heating member 210, the moving speed of the source film 220, and the heating member 210 It can be determined by the temperature. However, the heating temperature may be adjusted so that the base film 222 of the source film 220 is not damaged by heat. In addition, the organic material evaporated in the deposition process may be supplied to the connecting member 230.

The connection member 230 may provide a path connecting the source film 220 with the mask 250 and guide the movement path of the evaporated organic material. In other exemplary embodiments, the connection member 230 may be omitted.

The mask 250 may be disposed between the source film 220 and the substrate 100, and may be spaced apart from the upper surface of the substrate 100 by a predetermined distance.

The mask 250 may include an opening 252 and a frame 254 surrounding the opening 252. In addition, the opening 252 may include a plurality of openings that are regularly arranged along the first direction and the second direction. The openings may disperse the evaporated organic substances to be uniformly distributed on the substrate 100.

The mask 250 may have an area smaller than that of the substrate 100. In example embodiments, the mask 250 may have a width similar to that of the substrate 100 in the second direction, and may have a length smaller than that of the substrate 100 in the first direction. Accordingly, in a process using the mask 250, a thin film may be formed only on a portion of the substrate 100. However, since the substrate 100 may move along the first direction, the deposition cycle may be repeated to form a thin film on the substrate 100 as a whole.

Meanwhile, since the mask 250 has an area smaller than that of the substrate 100, it is possible to prevent sagging of the mask 250 and to prevent misalignment of the formed thin film.

In addition, the deposition apparatus 200 additionally includes a first chamber 205 in which the heating member 210 and the source film 220 are disposed, and a second chamber 260 in which the connection member 230 and the mask 250 are disposed. Can include. The first chamber 205 may be sealed from the second chamber 260 and the connection member 230 by the valve 232.

In example embodiments, the deposition equipment 200 may include a chuck 240, a source film 220, a heating member 210, and a mask 250. Since the chuck 240 supports the substrate 100 and can move along the first direction, a thin film may be formed using the mask 250 having an area smaller than that of the substrate 100. In addition, the source film 220 includes an organic material layer 224 and a base film 222 supporting the same, and may continuously move along the second direction. Accordingly, in order to compensate for the organic material consumed in the deposition process, it is possible to reduce the time required to stop the process and maintain it.

3 is a perspective view illustrating a deposition apparatus and a method of forming a thin film using the deposition apparatus according to other exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The deposition apparatus may be substantially the same as or similar to the deposition apparatus described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 except for the laser beam 215 and the source film 221. Accordingly, detailed descriptions of repeated components may be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 3, the deposition apparatus 201 may include a heating member, a source film 221, a connection member 230, and a mask 250.

The heating member may be a laser light source forming a laser beam 215. That is, the heating member may partially heat the source film 221 by irradiating the laser beam 215 to the source film 221. That is, when the laser beam 215 is used, only a necessary portion (ie, the source film 221) may be heated, and other portions of the deposition apparatus 201 may not be heated.

The source film 221 may have a length extending in one direction and may have ductility. Meanwhile, the source film 221 may include at least a base film and an organic material layer. In example embodiments, the source film 221 may include not only the base film and the organic material layer, but also an additional functional layer. For example, the functional layer may have a high absorption rate with respect to the laser beam 215, and accordingly, may convert the laser beam 215 into thermal energy.

In example embodiments, the deposition equipment 201 may include a source film 221, a heating member, and a mask 250. The source film 221 includes an organic material layer and a base film supporting the same, and may continuously move along the second direction. Accordingly, in order to compensate for the organic material consumed in the deposition process, it is possible to reduce the time required to stop the process and maintain it. In addition, since the heating member uses the laser beam 215, only the source film 221 may be selectively heated.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it is possible to implement various modifications within the scope of the claims and the detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings. It is natural to fall within the range.

100: substrate 200, 201: evaporation apparatus
205: first chamber 210: heating member
215: laser beam 220, 221: source film
222: base film 224: organic layer
230: connection member 232: valve
250: mask 252: opening
254: frame 260: second chamber

Claims (11)

A chuck that supports the substrate and is movable in a first direction parallel to the upper surface of the substrate;
A source film disposed above the chuck, moving in a second direction parallel to an upper surface of the substrate, including a base film and an organic material layer, and having a strip shape extending in one direction;
A heating member positioned above the source film and partially heating the source film; And
A deposition apparatus including a mask disposed between the source film and the chuck, including a plurality of openings, fixed by a connecting member, and positioned between the heating member and the substrate. delete The method of claim 1, wherein the source film can continuously move along the second direction,
The moving speed of the source film is controlled so that the organic material layer of the source film is consumed when the source film passes through a heating region overlapping the heating member. The deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the source film may have a predetermined ductility and may be wound in a roll shape. The deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating member heats the source film using joule heat. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating member heats the source film using a laser beam. The deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the chuck may contact a lower surface of the substrate and support the substrate by the weight of the substrate. The deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first direction and the second direction are substantially perpendicular. Placing a substrate on a chuck;
Arranging a source film including a base film and an organic material layer above the chuck and having a strip shape extending in one direction, and continuously moving the source film along a second direction parallel to the upper surface of the substrate ;
Partially heating the source film using a heating member;
Depositing an organic material evaporated from the source film on the substrate by passing through a mask; And
Using the chuck, moving the substrate along a first direction parallel to an upper surface of the substrate,
The mask is fixed by a connecting member, and is positioned between the heating member and the substrate. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of continuously moving the source film comprises adjusting a moving speed so that the organic material of the source film can be consumed when the source film passes through a heating region overlapping the heating member. A method of forming a thin film, characterized in that. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first direction and the second direction are substantially perpendicular.

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