KR20080061668A - Apparatus and method for depositing organic film on substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for depositing an organic film on a substrate are provided to improve deposition uniformity of an organic material by heating and evaporating the organic material in a container. An apparatus for depositing an organic film on a substrate includes a process chamber, a substrate supporter, and a source supply member. The substrate is positioned in the process chamber and supports the substrate to allow a deposition surface to be directed downward. The source supply member a container of a linear structure which contains an organic material and a heating member(310) heating the organic material contained in the container by providing heat for each region in a lengthwise direction of the container differently.

Description

Organic thin film deposition apparatus and method {APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DEPOSITING ORGANIC FILM ON SUBSTRATE}

1 is a schematic perspective view of an organic thin film deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,

2 is a cross-sectional view showing the interior of the process chambers of FIG.

3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the mask attachment (removal) chamber of FIG. 2;

4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the deposition chamber of FIG. 2;

5 is a schematic perspective view of the source supply member of FIG. 4.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

10: loading chamber 20: unloading chamber

30: cleaning chamber 40: process chamber

42: chamber with mask 44: deposition chamber

46 mask removal chamber 300 source supply member

310 container 320 resistance heating element

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for processing a substrate, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for depositing an organic thin film on a substrate used in the manufacture of an organic electroluminescent device.

Information processing devices are rapidly evolving to have various types of functions and faster information processing speeds. This information processing apparatus has a display device for displaying the operated information. In the past, a cathode ray tube monitor was mainly used as a display device, but a liquid crystal display (LCD) is mainly used. However, liquid crystal displays require a separate light source and have limitations in brightness, viewing angle, and large area, and in recent years, organic electroluminescence having advantages of low voltage driving, self-luminous, light weight, wide viewing angle, and fast response speed. Display devices using elements have been in the spotlight.

The organic electroluminescent device is generated by the recombination of the electrons and holes injected into the organic thin film as light, and can control the wavelength of light coming out according to the amount of dopant of the organic material, and full color ) Can be implemented.

Devices commonly used for depositing organic thin films include a transfer chamber for transferring a substrate between process chambers and a deposition chamber provided below the transfer chamber and in which the deposition process is performed. A deposition source for receiving an organic material (deposition material) is provided under the substrate in the deposition chamber, and an opening is formed in the deposition source so that the heat-evaporated organic material is supplied to the substrate.

In the deposition apparatus having such a configuration, the deposition uniformity of the organic material is adjusted by varying the opening area or height of the opening formed in the deposition source, but it is not easy to adjust the opening area and height of the opening of the deposition source, so that the deposition uniformity is There was a problem of deterioration.

Therefore, the present invention was created to solve the problems in view of the conventional organic thin film deposition apparatus as described above, an object of the present invention is an organic thin film deposition apparatus that can improve the deposition uniformity of the organic material And to provide a method.

In order to achieve the above object, the organic thin film deposition apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a process chamber comprising: a process chamber; A substrate support positioned in the process chamber and supporting the substrate such that a deposition surface faces downward; A source supply member for supplying an organic material under the substrate support onto a substrate supported by the substrate support, wherein the source supply member includes a container having a linear structure containing the organic material; And a heating member configured to heat the organic material contained in the container by supplying heat differently for each region along the length direction of the container.

In the organic thin film deposition apparatus according to the present invention having the configuration as described above, the heating member is wound around the outer wall of the container, the resistance heating element of the coil structure having a different heating area for each region along the longitudinal direction of the container. It is preferable to provide.

According to an aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the resistance heating element of the coil structure has a smaller cross section of the winding coil from both ends of the outer wall of the container toward the center.

According to another aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the resistance heating element of the coil structure has a shorter winding length of the coil from both ends of the outer wall of the container toward the center.

In order to achieve the above object, the organic thin film deposition method according to the present invention is to heat evaporate the organic material contained in the container by supplying more heat to both ends of the organic material container having a linear structure in comparison with the central part along the longitudinal direction. It is characterized by.

Hereinafter, an organic thin film deposition apparatus and method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, in adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as much as possible, even if shown on different drawings. In addition, in describing the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the related well-known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

(Example)

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an organic thin film deposition apparatus 1 according to an exemplary embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the interior of the process chambers of FIG. 1.

1 and 2, the deposition apparatus 1 includes a plurality of chambers. The chambers include a loading chamber 10, a cleaning chamber 30, process chambers 40, and an unloading chamber 20, each process chamber 40 having a masked chamber 42, a deposition chamber ( 44, and a mask removal chamber 46. In each process chamber 40, one or more deposition chambers 44 may be provided. The mask attach chamber 42 or the mask removal chamber 44 may be provided with a mask chamber (not shown) in which masks are stored, respectively. In addition, other types of chambers may be further provided in addition to the above-described loading chamber 10, cleaning chamber 30, process chamber 40, and unloading chamber 20.

According to an example, the loading chamber 10, the cleaning chamber 30, the process chamber 40, and the unloading chamber 20 are sequentially arranged in a row, and the masked chamber 42 in the process chamber 40. ), The deposition chamber 44, and the mask removal chamber 46 are sequentially arranged in the same direction. The number of process chambers 40 may vary. For example, when the deposition apparatus 1 is a device used for manufacturing an organic electroluminescent device, about 20 process chambers 40 may be provided. Each chamber is provided with a door 52 to facilitate maintenance, etc., and a vacuum port (not shown) to which an exhaust pipe 54 having a vacuum pump (not shown) is installed to maintain a high vacuum in the chamber during the process. ) Is provided. Unlike the above, the arrangement of the chambers may vary. For example, the process chambers 40 may be arranged in a 'c' shape or arranged in a zigzag fashion so that the device is not very long in one direction.

The substrate 3 on which the deposition process is to be carried is loaded into the apparatus 1 through the loading chamber 10, and the substrate 3 on which the deposition process is completed is taken out of the apparatus 1 through the unloading chamber 20. The substrate 3 loaded into the loading chamber 10 is transferred to the cleaning chamber 30. The cleaning chamber 30 performs a process of cleaning the substrate 3 using plasma or ultraviolet rays. After cleaning, the substrate 3 is sequentially moved to the mask attaching chamber 42, the deposition chamber 44, and the mask removing chamber 46.

Openings 40a are formed in both sidewalls of the mask attachment chamber 42, the deposition chamber 44, and the mask removal chamber 46. The substrate 3 is moved to the adjacent chambers through the opening 40a. A mask 4 having a predetermined pattern formed in the mask attaching chamber 42 is attached to the substrate 3, a thin film is deposited on the substrate 3 in the deposition chamber 44, and a mask (in the mask removing chamber 46). 4) is removed from the substrate 3. Subsequently, the substrate 3 is moved to the next process chamber 40, and the above process of attaching, depositing, and removing the mask is continuously repeated.

During the deposition process, the process chamber 40 is maintained at a high vacuum. Often, when an abnormality occurs in any one of the chambers, it is necessary to repair the inside of the chamber. Repair is carried out with the chamber inside at atmospheric pressure. Since the insides of the chambers are communicated through the opening 40a, the pressure in all the chambers is changed to the normal pressure when maintenance is performed in either chamber. After the maintenance is completed, it takes a lot of time because all the chamber interior must be kept in vacuum again before starting the process. To prevent this, the apparatus 1 of the present invention has a gate valve 41 for opening and closing the opening 40a formed in the boundary wall between the respective process chambers 40, as shown in FIG.

3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the mask attachment 42 chamber and mask removal chamber 46 of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 3, a mask mover 100 is provided in the mask attach chamber 42 and the mask removal chamber 46. The mask mover 100 is movable up and down, and the mask 4 is placed on the mask mover 100. When the mask mover 100 is moved to a predetermined height in the mask attach chamber 42, the mask 4 is coupled to the substrate support 200 by a clamp (not shown) provided on the substrate support 200. Before the mask 4 is bonded to the substrate support 200, the substrate 3 and the mask 4 are aligned. When the mask mover 100 is moved to a predetermined height in the mask removal chamber 46, the mask 4 is separated from the substrate support 200 and placed on the mask mover 100. The above-described structure and method for combining the mask 4 and removing the mask 4 are just examples, and various other structures and methods may be used.

4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the deposition chamber of FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the source supply member of FIG. 4.

4 and 5, a lower surface of the deposition chamber 44 is provided with a source supply member 300 for supplying an organic material (deposition material). The source supply member 300 is installed to face the substrate 3 supported by the substrate support 200, and supplies an organic material to a surface on which the substrate 30 is deposited.

The source supply member 300 includes a vessel 310 and a heating member. The vessel 310 contains the organic material to be deposited. The container 310 has a linear cylindrical shape extending to correspond to the width of the substrate 3 (one side of the substrate perpendicular to the substrate transfer direction). A plurality of holes 312 are formed in the upper surface of the vessel 310 so that the vaporized organic material (plum) in the vessel 310 can be supplied on the substrate 3.

The heating member heats the vessel 310 to generate a plume from the organic material to provide heat to the organic material. As the heating member, a resistive heating element 320 having a coil structure may be used, and the coil of the resistive heating element 320 may be disposed to surround the sidewall of the container 310. The coil of the resistance heating element 320 disposed on the sidewall of the container 310 may be wound in a predetermined pattern. In addition, the coil of the resistance heating element 320 may be wound to supply heat differently for each region along the longitudinal direction of the container 310. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the coil of the resistance heating element 320 may be wound to have a relatively long length at both ends of the sidewall along the length direction of the container 310 as compared with the center portion. As such, when the winding lengths of the coils are different at both ends and the center portion, the resistance value is changed according to the winding length, and thus the amount of heat generated by the coil is changed. The amount of heat generated at both ends of the coil having a relatively long length is larger than that of the central part. As such, when more heat is supplied to both ends of the container 310 as compared with the central part of the container 310, the amount of evaporation of organic materials at both ends of the container 310 increases, so that the uniformity of deposition at the edge of the substrate may be solved. Will be.

In the above, although the winding length of the coil is adjusted to adjust the amount of heat generated by the coil of the resistance heating element 320, the amount of heat generated by the coil may be adjusted by adjusting the cross-sectional area of the winding coil. For example, when the cross-sectional area of the coils disposed at both ends is larger than the cross-sectional area of the coils disposed at the center, the amount of heat generated at both ends is greater than the amount of heat generated at the center.

When the substrate 3 on which the organic thin film is deposited is a small substrate, a deposition process is performed while the substrate support 200 is fixed at a position opposite to the source supply member 300. However, when the substrate 3 on which the process is performed is a large substrate, a deposition process is performed by predetermined regions while the substrate support 200 moves along the transfer guide 210. The substrate support 200 may be continuously moved at a constant speed, and the deposition process may be performed. The substrate support 200 may be moved while stopping for a predetermined time to perform the deposition process. During the deposition process, the substrate support 200 can be reciprocated within the deposition chamber 44. Unlike this, deposition may be performed while the container 310 is moved. However, in this case, since the configuration of the equipment is complicated, it is preferable that the deposition process is performed while the substrate support 200 is moved along the transfer guide 210.

When the plume generated from the deposition material is moved out of the substrate 3 and moved over the substrate 3 during the deposition process, the plum is deposited on the substrate support 200 or another structure. In addition, when the plume spreads to a large area in the deposition chamber 44, the plume flows into the mask attaching chamber 42 or the mask removing chamber 46 adjacent thereto through the opening 40a formed in the sidewall of the deposition chamber 44. (42, 46). To prevent this, the blocking plate 400 is provided at a position lower than the substrate 3 attached to the substrate support 200 in the deposition chamber 44. The blocking plate 400 has an opening 410 of a predetermined size at a position opposite to the source supply member 300. Since the plume is supplied to the upper portion of the deposition chamber 44 through the opening 410, the region where the plume generated from the organic material is reached is limited to only a predetermined region on the substrate 3.

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may make various modifications and changes without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention but to describe the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

As described above, according to the present invention, the deposition uniformity of the organic material can be improved.

Claims (5)

An apparatus for depositing an organic thin film on a substrate, A process chamber; A substrate support positioned in the process chamber and supporting the substrate such that a deposition surface faces downward; And a source supply member supplying an organic material under the substrate support onto a substrate supported by the substrate support. The source supply member, A linear container containing an organic material; A heating member configured to heat the organic material contained in the vessel by supplying heat differently for each region along the longitudinal direction of the vessel; Organic thin film deposition apparatus comprising a. The method of claim 1, The heating member, The organic thin film deposition apparatus is wound around the outer wall of the container, and provided with a resistance heating element of a coil structure having a different heating area for each region along the longitudinal direction of the container. The method of claim 2, The resistance heating element of the coil structure, And a cross section of the winding coil is smaller from both ends of the outer wall of the vessel toward the center. The method of claim 2, The resistance heating element of the coil structure, And a winding length of the coil is shortened from both ends of the outer wall of the container to the center. In the method of depositing an organic thin film on a substrate, And evaporating the organic material contained in the container by supplying more heat to both ends of the organic material container having a linear structure in comparison with the central part.

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