KR20190109377A - How to handle mask arrangements, reference substrates for optical inspection of mask arrangements, and vacuum deposition systems - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for optical inspection of a mask arrangement is provided. The method includes receiving a mask arrangement in an inspection chamber in which a reference substrate is provided. In addition, the method includes aligning the mask arrangement with respect to the reference substrate. Additionally, the method includes inspecting a relative positioning between at least one portion of the mask arrangement and at least one portion of the reference substrate using an optical inspection device to obtain information data for the mask arrangement. .

Description

How to handle mask arrangements, reference substrates for optical inspection of mask arrangements, and vacuum deposition systems

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method for handling a mask arrangement. Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a reference substrate for optical inspection of a mask arrangement, in particular a reference substrate utilized in a method for handling a mask arrangement. Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a vacuum deposition system, in particular a vacuum deposition system for handling a mask arrangement, and more particularly a vacuum deposition system for performing a method for handling a mask arrangement. Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods and systems for handling a mask arrangement, in particular in display manufacture and more particularly in OLED display manufacture, and substrates for optical inspection of the mask arrangement.

[0002] Techniques for layer deposition on a substrate include, for example, thermal evaporation, physical vapor deposition (PVD), and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Coated substrates may be used in many applications and in various technical fields. For example, coated substrates can be used in the field of organic light emitting diode (OLED) devices. OLEDs can be used in the manufacture of television screens, computer monitors, mobile phones, other hand-held devices, and the like for displaying information. An OLED device, such as an OLED display, may include one or more layers of organic material lying between two electrodes that are all deposited on a substrate.

[0003] In the production of OLED devices, technical challenges exist to achieve high resolution OLED devices. Especially during deposition, the precise alignment of the substrate arrangement with respect to the mask arrangement is very important in achieving high quality processing results, for example in the case of production of high resolution OLED devices.

[0004] The alignment of the substrate arrangement with respect to the mask arrangement can be influenced by various factors, such as processing conditions, quality of the vacuum deposition system, as well as the quality of the substrate arrangement and the quality of the mask arrangement.

[0005] In view of the above, new methods, apparatuses, and systems are beneficial that overcome at least some of the problems in the art. The present disclosure is in particular aimed at providing a new method for the handling of mask arrangements. The present disclosure further aims to advantageously provide an improved vacuum system. The present disclosure aims to advantageously provide a new reference substrate for optical inspection of a mask arrangement, in particular for use in a method for handling the mask arrangement.

[0006] In view of the foregoing, a method for handling a mask arrangement, a reference substrate for optical inspection of the mask arrangement, and a vacuum deposition system are provided. Additional aspects, benefits, and features of the disclosure are apparent from the claims, the description, and the accompanying drawings.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for handling a mask arrangement is provided. The method includes receiving a mask arrangement in an inspection chamber in which a reference substrate is provided. In addition, the method includes aligning the mask arrangement with respect to the reference substrate. Additionally, the method includes inspecting a relative positioning between at least one portion of the mask arrangement and at least one portion of the reference substrate using an optical inspection device to obtain information data about the mask arrangement. It includes.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a reference substrate for optical inspection of a mask arrangement is provided. The reference substrate includes a reference substrate base provided with a reference pattern. In addition, the reference pattern includes a plurality of reference pixels, and at least one of the plurality of reference pixels is provided with an optically readable label providing the reference pixel information.

[0009] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, a reference substrate is provided that is utilized in the method as described herein. The reference substrate includes a reference substrate base provided with a reference pattern. In addition, the reference pattern includes a plurality of reference pixels, and at least one of the plurality of reference pixels is provided with an optically readable label providing the reference pixel information.

[0010] According to another aspect of the disclosure, a vacuum deposition system is provided. The vacuum deposition system includes an inspection chamber. In addition, the inspection chamber is provided with a first alignment system configured to align the mask arrangement with respect to the reference substrate. In addition, the inspection chamber is provided with an optical inspection device configured to optically inspect the mask arrangement. The vacuum deposition system further includes a deposition chamber, where the deposition chamber is provided with a deposition source configured to deposit material on the substrate via a mask arrangement. Additionally, the vacuum deposition system includes a delivery system configured to deliver the mask arrangement from the inspection chamber to the deposition chamber.

[0011] According to another aspect of the disclosure, a vacuum deposition system as described herein is provided. In addition, the reference substrate is provided in a test chamber and includes a reference substrate base provided with a reference pattern. In particular, a reference substrate for optical inspection of the mask arrangement as described herein is provided in the inspection chamber.

In a manner in which the above-mentioned features of the present disclosure may be understood in detail, a more specific description of the present disclosure briefly summarized above may be made with reference to the embodiments. The accompanying drawings are directed to embodiments of the present disclosure and are described below:
1 shows a schematic side view of a reference substrate for optical inspection of a mask arrangement, in accordance with embodiments as described herein.
2 shows a flowchart of a method for handling a mask arrangement, in accordance with embodiments as described herein.
3 shows a flowchart of a method for handling a mask arrangement in accordance with the embodiments of FIG. 2, further comprising preparing and conditioning prior to accepting the mask arrangement.
4 shows a flowchart of a method for handling a mask arrangement in accordance with the embodiments of FIG. 3, further comprising the step of carrying and utilizing the mask arrangement, subsequent to the inspecting step.
FIG. 5 shows a detailed flow chart for checking in accordance with the embodiments of FIG. 3.
6 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a vacuum deposition system in accordance with embodiments as described herein.
7 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a system for aligning a substrate arrangement relative to a mask arrangement, in accordance with embodiments as described herein.
8A and 8B show schematic cross-sectional views of a vacuum deposition system in accordance with further additional embodiments as described herein.

[0013] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present disclosure, and one or more examples of various embodiments are illustrated in the drawings. Within the following description of the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like components. Only differences with respect to the individual embodiments are described. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the disclosure and is not intended as a limitation of the disclosure. In addition, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used with or with other embodiments to yield a further embodiment. The description is intended to include such modifications and variations.

Embodiments described herein may be utilized, for example, to inspect large area coated substrates for manufactured displays. Substrates or substrate receiving regions, in which the devices and methods described herein are constructed, may be large area substrates having a size of, for example, 1 m ² or more. For example, a large area substrate or carrier may comprise GEN 4.5 corresponding to about 0.67 m ² substrates (0.73 m × 0.92 m), GEN 5 corresponding to about 1.4 m ² substrates (1.1 m × 1.3 m), about 4.29 m GEN 7.5 corresponding to ² substrates (1.95 m × 2.2 m), GEN 8.5 or even about 8.7 m ² substrates (2.85 m × 3.05 m) corresponding to about 5.7 m ² substrates (2.2 m × 2.5 m) It may be a corresponding GEN 10. Even larger generations such as GEN 11 and GEN 12 and corresponding substrate areas can be implemented similarly. For example, for OLED display manufacturing, half sizes of the substrate generations mentioned above, including GEN 6, can be coated by evaporation of the device for evaporating the material. Half sizes of substrate generation may result from some processes running on the full substrate size and subsequent processes running on half of the previously processed substrate.

[0015] In the present disclosure, the term "handling of mask arrangement" includes any terms that define utilizing a mask arrangement. In other words, the term “handling of mask arrangement” may refer to an activity and may include terms such as attachment, connection, transport, movement, transport, orientation, conditioning, etc., as well as use, utilization, and the like.

[0016] In the present disclosure, the term "mask arrangement" may include any devices that form a mask arrangement, in particular the term "mask arrangement" means a mask and a mask frame, a mask carrier, and also a mask, a mask frame, And any additional devices such as, for example, magnet plates used directly or indirectly to assemble at least one of the mask carriers.

[0017] According to the present disclosure, the mask can be understood as any masks suitable for OLED display fabrication. The mask as described herein can include a plurality of deposition openings. In other words, the mask may comprise a mask pattern provided with a plurality of deposition openings. The plurality of deposition openings can in particular be understood as a plurality of holes.

[0018] Also, a mask according to the present disclosure may refer to at least one of a mask for deposition of blue pixels, a mask for deposition of red pixels, and a mask for deposition of green pixels.

[0019] In the present disclosure, an “inspection chamber” as used herein is configured to optically inspect a mask arrangement and a first alignment system configured to align the mask arrangement as described herein with respect to a reference substrate arrangement. It can be understood as a chamber in which an optical inspection device is provided at least.

[0020] In addition, a “first alignment system” as referred to herein is any device configured to align the mask arrangement with respect to the reference substrate arrangement, in particular any configured to align the mask carrier with respect to the reference substrate carrier. Devices, more particularly, any devices configured to align the mask with respect to the reference substrate.

[0021] In the present disclosure, an “optical inspection device” provided in an inspection chamber as used herein may be understood as any devices configured to optically inspect the mask arrangement. In addition, the term "inspect (inspect)" may also refer to other terms such as verify, control, verify, analyze, measure, calculate, evaluate, etc., in order to obtain information data about the mask arrangement. It can be comprehensive. The optical inspection device may include at least one of one or more image capture devices, one or more processing devices for processing the captured images, and one or more optics.

[0022] In the present disclosure, the term “criteria” may refer to any terms that define the basis upon which comparisons, feelings, evaluations, calculations, or analyzes can be made. In addition, the term “criteria” can be understood in particular as referring to (physical) entities that provide information for comparison.

[0023] In the following, the term reference may in particular be assigned to entities that may form part of a reference substrate arrangement as described herein. In addition, the term “criteria” as described herein may also include terms such as standards, templates, and the like.

[0024] In the present disclosure, a “reference substrate arrangement” as used herein may be understood as an arrangement comprising a reference substrate and a reference substrate carrier that carries the reference substrate.

[0025] The reference substrate carrier may be a substrate carrier that carries the reference substrate. The reference substrate may be a substrate that includes a reference pattern that at least partially or partially corresponds to a pixel pattern of a substrate to be manufactured in a vacuum deposition system. This allows the reference substrate to be used to check the accuracy and quality of the opening pattern of the mask to be used for the deposition of the pixel pattern. For example, the reference substrate may be a conventional substrate on which a pattern of pixels is deposited, wherein the pattern of pixels is provided in a target configuration for using the substrate as a display. In other embodiments, the reference substrate may not be a conventional substrate having a pattern of pixels, but rather a substrate on which a reference pattern made of another material, such as a metal, is provided, wherein the "reference pixel" of this pattern Are provided at positions where the actual pixels of the substrate to be manufactured are to be positioned.

[0026] In some embodiments, the reference pattern includes at least one reference pixel in each of the plurality of inspection regions where the relative positioning between the mask arrangement and the reference substrate is to be locally inspected. For example, the reference pattern may include four or more reference pixels, ten or more reference pixels, 100 or more reference pixels, or 1000 or more reference pixels. For example, at least one reference pixel is arranged in every respective corner region of the reference substrate. Each reference pixel may be provided with an optically readable label or description.

[0027] In some embodiments, the reference pattern includes a plurality of reference pixels arranged at the substrate positions at which the green pixels are to be deposited. Mask arrangements configured for the deposition of green pixels can be inspected. The reference pattern may comprise a second plurality of reference pixels in which red pixels are arranged in substrate positions to be deposited and / or a third plurality of reference pixels in which blue pixels are arranged in substrate positions to be deposited. Thus, masks for the deposition of different materials can be inspected utilizing the same reference substrate.

[0028] In further embodiments that may be combined with any of the embodiments as described herein, the reference substrate arrangement may be understood as being suitable for essentially reproducing the conditions of the substrate arrangement of the deposition chamber, and the substrate arrangement Is provided with a substrate to be “processed”. The term "reproduce" as used herein may also encompass other terms such as simulating, imitating, and lesser levels of replication. In some embodiments, the reference substrate arrangement can be configured to essentially reproduce the conditions of the substrate arrangement in which the substrate to be processed in the deposition chamber is provided.

[0029] In further embodiments, the substrate arrangement provided in the deposition chamber and the reference substrate arrangement as described herein may differ only in the nature of the substrate provided therein. In particular, the reference substrate arrangement and the substrate arrangement may be essentially similar in terms of at least one of shape, dimensions, size, surface, density, weight, and the like. However, the reference pattern with the plurality of reference pixels may be different from the actual pixel pattern to be deposited on the substrate to be processed. For example, the reference pattern may be made of a material different from the actual pixel material, the reference pixels may be provided with an optically readable label, and a limited number of reference pixels (e.g., less than 100,000 or less than 100) are placed on the reference substrate. And / or the sizes and dimensions of the reference pixels may be different from the sizes and dimensions of the actual pixels to be deposited.

[0030] In the present disclosure, the term substrate arrangement may be understood as including at least one of a substrate and a substrate frame, a substrate frame support, and a substrate carrier.

[0031] The term "substrate" as used herein may also refer to a substrate provided on a substrate arrangement as described herein, wherein the substrate arrangement is provided within a deposition chamber of a vacuum deposition system. In addition, the term “substrate” may in particular refer to “substrate to be processed”. The term substrate may in particular encompass substrates that are substantially inflexible, such as slices of transparent crystals, such as wafers, sapphires, or the like, or glass plates.

[0032] The present disclosure is not limited to these, and the term "substrate" may encompass flexible substrates such as webs or foils. The term "substantially inflexible" is understood to distinguish it from "flexible". Specifically, the substrate which is substantially inflexible may have a glass plate having a certain degree of flexibility, such as a thickness of 0.5 mm or less, and the flexibility of the substrate that is substantially inflexible is small compared to flexible substrates. .

[0033] In addition, the substrate may be made of any material suitable for material deposition. For example, the substrate may be glass (eg, soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, etc.) that can be coated by a deposition process, metals, polymers, ceramics, compound materials, carbon fiber materials, metals Or any other material or combination of materials. In further embodiments, the substrate or “substrate to be processed” may advantageously be made of glass.

[0034] In the present disclosure, the term “reference substrate” as described herein may be appropriate for optical inspection of a mask arrangement. In particular, the reference substrate may advantageously be configured for optical inspection of the mask arrangement as described herein. More specifically, the reference substrate can be configured to be provided in an inspection chamber as described herein for optical inspection of the mask arrangement.

[0035] 1 shows a schematic side view of a reference substrate 10 for optical inspection of a mask arrangement 20, in accordance with embodiments described herein. As exemplarily shown in FIG. 1, the reference substrate 10 includes a reference substrate base 11 provided with a reference pattern 12. In addition, the reference pattern 12 includes a plurality of reference pixels 13. At least one of the reference pixels 13, in particular a plurality of reference pixels, more particularly each of the reference pixels 13, is provided with an optically readable label 14 which provides reference pixel information.

[0036] In the present disclosure, the term “reference substrate base” may be understood as defining any support adapted or adapted to receive and / or include a reference pattern to form a reference substrate as described herein. . In addition, the term “reference substrate base” may include any term such as a reference substrate support or the like.

[0037] In addition, the reference substrate base as described herein can be made of any material appropriate for the substrate as described herein.

[0038] In the present disclosure, the term “reference pattern 12” as used herein may be understood as any pattern that follows the definition of the term “reference” as defined above. In other words, reference pattern 12 may refer in particular to a pattern configured to perform an optical inspection of a mask arrangement as described herein.

[0039] In some embodiments, reference pattern 12 may be provided on or above reference substrate base 11. The reference pattern 12 may be provided directly on the outer surface of the reference substrate base 11.

[0040] In further embodiments, the reference pattern 12 may be embedded in the reference substrate base 11. In particular, the reference pattern 12 may be embedded in the reference substrate base 11 to remain detectable. By providing the reference pattern 12 embedded in the reference substrate base 11, the reference pattern 12 can advantageously withstand handling conditions such as, for example, temperature, pressure, and the like.

[0041] According to further embodiments, the reference pattern 12 may be partially embedded in the reference substrate base 11.

[0042] In the present disclosure, a reference pattern 12 that includes "a plurality of reference pixels" may be understood as defining a pixel pattern suitable for an OLED display. In other words, the reference pattern 12 of the reference substrate 10 is a pixel pattern of an OLED display in terms of pixel number, pixel density, pixel dimensions, distance between adjacent pixels, pixel shape, and / or pixel spatial arrangement. In essence. As noted above, it can be understood that an OLED display is a product to be manufactured by a vacuum deposition system as described herein. In other words, the reference pattern 12 may correspond to a target pattern of one or more pixels to be deposited on a substrate for manufacturing an OLED display.

[0043] In further embodiments, reference pattern 12 may be configured to essentially reproduce the pixel pattern of an OLED display.

[0044] By providing a reference substrate 10 having a reference pattern 12 as described herein, optical inspection of the mask arrangement can be performed effectively. In addition, the mask arrangement can be optically inspected for the reference substrate arrangement. In particular, the mask can be optically inspected for at least one of the reference substrate arrangement, the reference substrate, and the reference pattern of the reference substrate. More specifically, the mask can advantageously be optically inspected for the reference pattern of the reference substrate.

[0045] As exemplarily shown in FIG. 1, the reference pattern 12 includes a plurality of reference pixels 13. In particular, the reference pattern 12 may be composed of only a plurality of reference pixels 13. In other words, the reference pattern 12 is a spatial arrangement of a plurality of reference pixels 13 on the reference substrate base 11, in particular, a spatial arrangement of at least one of the pixels relative to the other pixels and a pixel to the other pixels. May refer to a spatial arrangement of a subset of these.

[0046] In embodiments that may be combined with embodiments described herein, the maximum dimension of at least one reference pixel of the plurality of reference pixels 13 as described herein is between 5 μm and 30 μm, in particular 10 It may be from 20 μm to 20 μm.

[0047] In further embodiments that may be combined with embodiments as described herein, the plurality of reference pixels 13 may be arranged in one or more subsets. In particular, the plurality of reference pixels 13 may comprise at least one first subset of reference pixels. More specifically, the reference pixels of the at least one first subset can be arranged in a pattern corresponding to the target pattern of the pixels of the at least one subset of the OLED display pattern.

[0048] The term "target pattern" may be understood in particular in the manner as described above. In other words, the target pattern may essentially correspond to the pixel pattern of the OLED display.

[0049] In further embodiments (not shown in FIG. 1), the at least one first subset of reference pixels may include blue pixels of an OLED display, red pixels of an OLED display, and at least one of green pixels of an OLED display. It may be arranged in a pattern corresponding to the target pattern of the subset.

[0050] In further embodiments, which may be combined with the embodiments described herein, the reference pattern is a reference of at least one subset arranged in a pattern corresponding to a target pattern of blue pixels of at least one subset of the OLED display. It may include pixels. In addition, the reference pattern may include at least one subset of reference pixels arranged in a pattern corresponding to a target pattern of red pixels of at least one subset of the OLED display. In addition, the reference pattern may include at least one subset of reference pixels arranged in a pattern corresponding to a target pattern of green pixels of at least one subset of the OLED display.

[0051] In some embodiments, the reference pattern of the reference substrate is in a pattern corresponding to the target pattern of red pixels of the OLED display, the first subset of reference pixels arranged in a pattern corresponding to the target pattern of blue pixels of the OLED display. Reference pixels of the second subset arranged, and reference pixels of the third subset arranged in a pattern corresponding to a target pattern of green pixels of the OLED display.

[0052] As illustrated in FIG. 1, at least one or more of the reference pixels of the plurality of reference pixels 13 is provided with an optically readable label 14 that provides reference pixel information.

[0053] As exemplarily shown in FIG. 1, the optically readable label 14 is a linear barcode such as a UPC code and a 2D barcode such as a QR code, and an optically readable marking or instruction that provides pixel information. It may include at least one of. In particular, the optically readable label 14 (indication) may be a QR code and advantageously provides reference pixel information. By providing a QR code, the amount of information for at least one reference pixel can be increased to improve optical inspection of the mask arrangement as described herein.

[0054] The term "reference pixel information" as used herein may be understood as referring to any type of information for at least one reference pixel. In particular, the received reference pixel information may refer only to information of the reference pixel subjected to optical inspection. In the present disclosure, the term "reference pixel information" is not limited thereto, but in particular, pixel type, pixel color, pixel position, pixel relative position, pixel absolute position, pixel row, pixel column, or pixel coordinates. It may include at least one of.

[0055] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, a method for handling a mask arrangement is provided. The method may include receiving a mask arrangement in an inspection chamber, wherein the inspection chamber is provided with a reference substrate arrangement. The method may further include aligning the mask arrangement with respect to the reference substrate arrangement. Additionally, the method may include examining a relative positioning between at least one portion of the mask arrangement and at least one portion of the reference substrate arrangement using an optical device to obtain information data about the mask arrangement. Can be.

[0056] In addition, the method as described herein can be performed utilizing at least one of a mask arrangement, an inspection chamber, and a reference substrate as described herein. In particular, the method 100 may be performed utilizing any mask arrangement, any inspection chamber, and any reference substrate arrangement as described herein.

[0057] In the present disclosure, at least one portion of the mask arrangement and at least one portion of the reference substrate are at least one direction essentially perpendicular to the plane formed by at least one of the mask arrangement and the substrate arrangement. In view of this, it can be understood that these are two separate parts arranged to be adjacent to each other. In other words, the projection of at least one portion of the mask arrangement towards the reference substrate arrangement may essentially define and / or overlap at least one portion of the reference substrate arrangement, and vice versa. .

[0058] In addition, the term "inspecting" as used herein may be understood analogously to the term "inspecting" as defined above in the context of a reference substrate.

[0059] 2 shows a flowchart of a method 100 for handling a mask arrangement, in accordance with embodiments described herein. As exemplarily shown in FIG. 2, the method 100 includes a step 101 of receiving a mask arrangement in an inspection chamber, wherein a reference substrate is provided in the inspection chamber. The method 100 further includes aligning 102 the mask arrangement relative to the reference substrate. In addition, the method 100 may further comprise using a optical device to examine the relative positioning between at least one portion of the mask arrangement and at least one portion of the reference substrate to obtain information data for the mask arrangement ( 103).

[0060] According to further embodiments of the method described herein, the information data obtained for the mask arrangement includes information about the quality of the mask arrangement, information about the relative positioning between the mask and the mask carrier, and reference substrate arrangement, in particular reference It may include at least one of an offset value of the mask arrangement with respect to the substrate.

[0061] In the present disclosure, the term "offset" can be understood in particular as an offset value.

[0062] In some embodiments, the offset value of the mask arrangement relative to the substrate arrangement may in particular correspond to an offset between the plurality of deposition openings of the mask and the reference pattern of the reference substrate. In addition, this offset value may more particularly correspond to a local offset between a portion of the reference pattern of the reference substrate and a portion of the plurality of deposition openings of the mask.

[0063] The method 100 according to the embodiments of FIG. 2 may further comprise at least one of preparing and conditioning the mask arrangement prior to receiving the mask arrangement in the inspection chamber.

[0064] In further embodiments, which may be combined with the embodiments described herein, the method 100 attaches a mask to a mask carrier to provide a mask arrangement prior to receiving 101 the mask arrangement in an inspection chamber. At least one of the step 104, changing the orientation of the mask from an essentially horizontal orientation to an essentially vertical orientation 105, and conditioning the mask 106. .

[0065] 3 shows a flow diagram of a method 100 that may include attaching a mask to a mask carrier 104 to provide a mask arrangement prior to receiving 101 a mask arrangement in an inspection chamber. The term "attach" may include any terms such as assembly, mounting, fastening, securing, and fastening.

[0066] In addition, the method 100 as shown in FIG. 3 may include changing 105 the orientation of the mask. Changing the orientation 105 may be performed in particular from an essentially horizontal orientation to an essentially vertical orientation. In some embodiments, the modifying step 105 can be performed before the attaching step 104.

[0067] In view of the foregoing, the mask arrangement may be in an essentially vertical orientation before being received 101 in the inspection chamber. In addition, the mask arrangement may advantageously be maintained in an essentially vertical orientation in the inspection chamber, particularly during the alignment 102 and inspection 103.

[0068] Additionally, the method 100 as illustrated in FIG. 3 can include conditioning 106 a mask arrangement. Conditioning 106 may refer to any steps in which the mask arrangement may experience conditions, eg, in terms of temperature and pressure common in the field of OLED display manufacturing, to prepare the mask arrangement for further handling. have. For example, conditioning 106 may include temporary storage of the mask arrangement under vacuum conditions to allow outgassing of the mask.

[0069] Some factors may negatively affect at least one of the mask and the mask arrangement. As used herein, the term “negatively affecting” includes any term that defines a mask arrangement, in particular a deterioration of the “quality” of the mask, such as degradation, deformation, distortion, degradation, damages, and the like. can do. By "negatively affecting", the mask arrangement relative to the substrate arrangement, in particular the positioning deviation (shift) of the mask, can also be understood. This may include any aspects of mask arrangement that may directly or indirectly affect high processing quality in the production of OLED displays.

[0070] The term "quality" may also refer to the "relative quality" of the mask for at least one of the mask frame and the mask carrier. More specifically, the term “relative quality” may also refer to at least one of the quality of the plurality of deposition openings of the mask, and the relative positioning of the mask relative to at least one of the mask frame and the mask carrier. The term “relative quality” may also refer to a positioning deviation (shift) of at least one of the plurality of deposition openings of the mask with respect to the mask for the mask carrier and the target pattern for the plurality of deposition openings.

[0071] Factors that negatively affect the mask arrangement and the "quality" and "relative quality" of the mask, respectively, as described herein, include at least one of: mounting (assembly) of the mask arrangement, mask on the mask frame, and mask on the mask carrier. One mounting (fixing) and a change in the orientation of the mask (with an angular variation different from 0 °), in particular not including a change in the orientation of the mask from an essentially horizontal position to an essentially vertical position can do. Such factors are not limited thereto, and may also include gravity, temperature, and pressure conditions, conveying vibrations during handling of the mask arrangement from one chamber to another, and the like. For example, the deviation of the target pattern of the mask may occur due to the deflection of the central portion of the vertically oriented mask due to gravity.

[0072] Following the preparation and / or conditioning of the mask arrangement, the method 100 according to the embodiments of FIG. 1 may advantageously provide data information on the quality of the mask arrangement, in particular the mask. In addition, the data information of the mask arrangement can be used to improve the high quality of manufacturing the OLED display.

[0073] In further embodiments that may be combined with the embodiments described herein, the method as described herein further includes processing the information data for the mask arrangement, and returning the information data to the preparation and / or conditioning chamber. It may include the step of transmitting. The term "send back" may be understood as "feed backward" of the information data for the mask arrangement into the preparation and / or conditioning chambers. In other words, the information data on the quality of the mask arrangement can be processed and sent back to the preparation and / or conditioning chambers in order to advantageously adjust and / or correct the corresponding parameters based on the information data of the mask arrangement. .

[0074] In view of the foregoing, additional mask arrangements may be prepared and / or conditioned according to some adjustments and / or corrections based on data information obtained from previously handled mask arrangements, and the production quality of the OLED display may be improved. Can be.

[0075] The method 100 according to the embodiments of FIG. 3 may further comprise, after obtaining the information data for the mask arrangement, in particular, further handling the mask arrangement from the inspection chamber to the deposition chamber. .

[0076] FIG. 4 illustrates a step 107 of transferring the inspected mask arrangement from the inspection chamber to the deposition chamber subsequent to obtaining information data for the mask arrangement and utilizing the mask arrangement for depositing material on the substrate in the deposition chamber. Shows a flowchart of a method 100 that may further include step 108.

[0077] In further embodiments combinable with the embodiments described herein, following the obtaining and conveying 107 of the information data, the method further comprises: masking for further handling based on the information data of the mask arrangement. Determining the quality of the arrangement (not shown in FIG. 4). In addition, the determining may be based on a predetermined tolerance in terms of, for example, deviation, deformation, and the like. In particular, the determining may be based on identifying whether at least a portion of the mask arrangement essentially corresponds to at least a portion of the target pixel pattern for OLED displays.

[0078] In particular, the determining may further include accepting or rejecting the mask arrangement for further handling based on the data information for the mask arrangement, in particular based on the quality of the mask arrangement. On the one hand, the conveying step 107 and the utilizing step 108 can further occur when the mask arrangement is accepted.

[0079] In further embodiments in combination with the embodiments described herein, the method as described herein includes processing information data for the mask arrangement, and a second alignment provided in the deposition chamber, in particular the deposition chamber. The method may further include transmitting information data about the system. The term "forward transmitting" may be understood as "feeding forward" of information data for a mask arrangement to a second alignment device provided in a deposition chamber. In other words, the information data for the mask arrangement can be processed and further forwarded to the second alignment system provided in the deposition chamber, in particular in the deposition chamber.

[0080] In addition, the method 100 may include aligning the substrate arrangement, in particular the substrate, with respect to the mask arrangement in the deposition chamber based on the information data or based on the alignment data determined from the information data. In particular, the information data for the mask arrangement can be used to correct and / or compensate for deviations in the mask arrangement, for example in terms of positioning, by appropriately aligning the substrate arrangement.

[0081] By providing an alignment in the deposition chamber based on the information data or on the alignment data determined from the information data, the production quality of the OLED displays can be further improved.

[0082] In further embodiments that may be combined with embodiments of the method 100 as described herein, at least one of the substrate arrangement and the mask arrangement includes, in particular, fiducial markers used as reference points for alignment, in particular the origin ( fiducial markers may be provided.

[0083] The starting reference points can be considered for alignment, in particular for alignment of the mask arrangement and / or substrate arrangement in at least one of the deposition chamber and the inspection chamber. The origins can be understood as pattern recognition markers, which can be, for example, mask openings. For example, the origins can be located near the corner edges of at least one of the substrate arrangement and the mask arrangement and can be recognized using an image detection system that compares the detected images with stored information data.

[0084] By measuring the position of the reference arrangements of the substrate arrangement relative to the mask arrangement—eg, stored in the memory of the system—computes the extent to which portions, such as the substrate arrangement, must be moved relative to the mask arrangement to ensure correct alignment. It may be possible to

[0085] According to further embodiments, which may be combined with embodiments as described herein, step 103 of inspecting relative positioning may include the operation of at least one portion of a mask arrangement and a reference substrate arrangement using an optical inspection device. Capturing at least one image representing at least one portion, and determining a local offset between at least one portion of the mask arrangement and at least one portion of the reference substrate arrangement.

[0086] FIG. 5 shows a detailed flowchart of the step 103 of checking the relative positioning of the method according to the embodiments of FIG. 2. The mask may include a plurality of deposition openings, and the reference substrate may be provided with a reference pattern. Examining relative positioning 103 includes capturing at least one image representing at least one portion of the reference pattern and at least one portion of the plurality of deposition openings using an optical inspection device, and a plurality of Determining a local offset between at least one portion of the deposition openings and at least one portion of the reference pattern.

[0087] In addition, during the capturing step 110, at least one portion of the mask arrangement and at least one portion of the reference substrate arrangement may be understood as defined above. In addition, at least one portion of the mask arrangement may refer to at least one portion of the plurality of deposition openings. Additionally, at least one portion of the reference substrate arrangement may refer to at least one portion of the reference pattern.

[0088] The inspection device may capture at least one image representing at least one portion of the reference pattern arranged behind the portion of the plurality of deposition openings. The term "behind" can be understood as the relative positioning of the reference pattern relative to the mask when viewed from the mask arrangement side.

[0089] According to further embodiments of the method shown in FIG. 5, the reference pattern may include a plurality of reference pixels, wherein at least one subset of the plurality of reference pixels is a target pattern for a plurality of deposition openings of the mask. Arranged in a pattern corresponding to at least one subset of. In particular, at least one subset of the plurality of reference pixels can include at least one of a subset of blue reference pixels, a subset of green reference pixels, and a subset of red reference pixels.

[0090] In further embodiments that may be combined with the embodiments described herein, the method 100 may be performed utilizing a reference substrate in accordance with the embodiments of FIG. 1.

[0091] 6 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a vacuum deposition system 200 in accordance with embodiments as described herein. As exemplarily shown in FIG. 6, the vacuum deposition system 200 includes an inspection chamber 201. The inspection chamber 201 includes an optical inspection device configured to optically inspect the mask alignment 20 and the first alignment system 202 configured to align the mask arrangement 20 with respect to the reference substrate arrangement 30 ( 203 is provided. The vacuum deposition system 200 further includes a deposition chamber 204, wherein the deposition chamber 204 is configured to deposit material onto the substrate 40 to be processed, via a mask arrangement 20. ) Is provided. Additionally, the vacuum deposition system 200 includes a delivery system 206 that is configured to carry the mask arrangement 20 from the inspection chamber 201 to the deposition chamber 204.

[0092] As illustrated in FIG. 6, the inspection chamber 201 may be further provided with a mask carrier 207 configured to carry the mask 60. In addition, the inspection chamber 201 may be provided with a reference substrate carrier 208 configured to carry the reference substrate 50. The reference substrate carrier 208 can include an electrostatic chucking device (E-chuck) configured to hold the reference substrate 50 to the reference substrate carrier 208.

[0093] In further embodiments, which may be combined with the embodiments described herein, the optical inspection device 203 may capture at least one or more images to take one or more images of the mask arrangement 20 and the reference substrate arrangement 30. Devices, and a processing device for processing the captured images.

[0094] Also, one or more image capture devices can be one or more cameras. In particular, the one or more image capture devices may be configured to take one or more photos of at least one portion of the mask arrangement 20 and at least one portion of the reference substrate arrangement 30.

[0095] In further embodiments, which can be combined with the embodiments described herein, the optical inspection device 203 can be configured to optically inspect the mask arrangement 20 in an essentially vertical orientation.

[0096] The optical inspection device 203 can be configured to detect information data for the mask arrangement 20. This information data includes information about the quality of the mask arrangement 20, information about the relative positioning between the mask 60 and the mask carrier 207, and the offset of the mask arrangement 20 relative to the reference substrate arrangement 30. It may include at least one of.

[0097] In further embodiments, at least one of the optical inspection device 203 and the inspection chamber 201 includes at least one for illuminating at least one of the mask arrangement 20 and the reference substrate arrangement 30. A light source can be provided.

[0098] According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the reference substrate 50 may be a reference substrate carrier that may be connected to the first holding arrangement 220 of the first alignment system 202. 208).

[0099] As illustratively shown in FIG. 6, the first holding arrangement 220 may be configured to hold the reference substrate arrangement 30, in particular the reference substrate carrier 208. In addition, the first holding arrangement 220 may be configured to hold the mask arrangement 20, in particular the mask carrier 207. In particular, the first holding arrangement 220 can hold the mask carrier 207 and the reference substrate carrier 208 during inspection of the mask arrangement 20.

[00100] In addition, the first holding arrangement 220 may include one or more first holding devices 225 and / or reference substrate carrier 208 configured to hold one or more holding devices, such as the mask carrier 207. It may include one or more second holding devices 226 configured to hold. One or more holding devices may be configured to be movable in a movement direction different from the mask arrangement conveyance direction. For example, the one or more holding devices can be configured to be movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the mask arrangement surface, eg, in a first direction and a second direction.

[00101] In particular, the first holding arrangement 220 can be part of a first alignment system 202 that is configured to adjust the position of the mask arrangement 20 relative to the reference substrate arrangement 30. The mask arrangement 20 may be moved relative to the reference substrate arrangement 30 to provide accurate alignment between the reference substrate arrangement 30 and the mask arrangement 20 during inspection. One or more piezo actuators may be provided to move the reference substrate arrangement 30 relative to the mask arrangement 20 for alignment.

[00102] According to further embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the mask carrier holding the mask may be connected to the first holding arrangement 220. Thus, in order to provide a predetermined relative positioning between the mask and the substrate, the mask 60 may be positioned relative to the reference substrate 50, or the reference substrate may be positioned relative to the mask, or with the mask 60 Both reference substrates 50 can be positioned relative to each other.

[00103] As illustrated in FIG. 6, the deposition chamber 204 may include at least one additional chamber 210 having a transport arrangement 211. The at least one additional chamber 210 may be a rotating module, a transit module, or a combination thereof. In the rotation module, the track arrangement and the carrier (s) arranged thereon can be rotated about an axis of rotation, such as a vertical axis of rotation. For example, the carrier (s) may be transferred from the left side of the deposition chamber 204 to the right side of the deposition chamber 204, or vice versa. The transit module may include crossing tracks such that the carrier (s) can be transported through the transit module in different directions (eg, directions perpendicular to each other).

[00104] Deposition chamber 204 may be configured to deposit organic materials. A deposition source 212, in particular an evaporation source, may be provided to the deposition chamber 204. Deposition source 212 may be provided on track or linear guide 213, as illustratively shown in FIG. 6. Linear guide 213 may be configured for translational movement of deposition source 212. In addition, a drive may be provided for providing translational movement of deposition source 212. In particular, a conveying device for contactless conveying of the deposition source 212 may be provided.

[00105] Source support 214 may be provided configured for translational movement of the deposition source along linear guide 213. Source support 214 may support evaporation crucible 215 and dispensing assembly 216 provided over evaporation crucible 215. Thus, vapor generated in the evaporation crucible 215 may move upward and out of one or more outlets of the distribution assembly. Dispensing assembly 216 is configured to provide a plume of evaporated organic material, in particular evaporated source material, from dispensing assembly 216 to substrate 40.

[00106] As exemplarily shown in FIG. 6, the deposition chamber 204 may have gate valves 217, through which additional additional chamber 210, such as a routing module, is adjacent. Alternatively, the deposition chamber 204 may be connected to an adjacent service module. In particular, the gate valves 217 can be opened and closed to allow a vacuum seal to the adjacent additional chamber 210 and to move the substrate and / or mask into or out of the deposition chamber 204.

[00107] With reference to FIG. 6, in accordance with embodiments that may be combined with any other embodiment described herein, two substrates, such as a first substrate 40A and a second substrate 40B, are individually separated. Of transport tracks, such as an individual first track arrangement 218 as described herein. In addition, two tracks for providing mask carriers thereon, for example two second track arrangements 219 as described herein, may be provided. In some embodiments, coating of substrates may include masking the substrates using individual masks (eg, using an edge exclusion mask or a shadow mask). According to some embodiments, a deposition chamber 204 includes masks, eg, a first mask 60A for masking a first substrate 40A and a second mask 60B for masking a second substrate 40B. In oppositely arranged deposition regions.

[00108] In addition, the second alignment system 223 (shown in detail in FIG. 7) may allow for proper alignment of the substrate arrangement to the mask arrangement in the deposition chamber 204, which is high in OLED display manufacturing. It is good for quality. The second alignment system 223 can be configured in an essentially similar manner to the first alignment system described herein. In the deposition chamber 204, the second alignment system may be configured to align the substrate arrangement with respect to the mask arrangement.

[00109] In further embodiments, which may be combinable with the embodiments described herein, a second holding arrangement is provided in the deposition chamber. The second holding arrangement can be part of the second alignment system 223. The second holding arrangement can be constructed essentially in a manner similar to the first holding arrangement as described herein. In particular, the second holding arrangement may be configured to hold the mask arrangement and the substrate arrangement side by side in the deposition chamber 204. At least one piezo actuator may be provided to provide a relative alignment between the mask arrangement held by the second holding arrangement and the substrate arrangement.

[00110] As illustratively shown in FIG. 6, the delivery system 206 is configured to carry the mask arrangement 20 from the inspection chamber 201 to the deposition chamber 204. In particular, the delivery system 206 may include at least one track arrangement configured to carry the mask arrangement 20 from the inspection chamber 201 to the deposition chamber 204 of the vacuum deposition system 200. More specifically, the at least one track arrangement can extend through the vacuum deposition system 200 from the inspection chamber 201 to the deposition chamber 204. The delivery system 206 may include a magnetic levitation system configured to contactlessly transfer the mask arrangement 20 from the inspection chamber 201 to the deposition chamber 204.

[00111] In view of the foregoing, the delivery system 206 may not only be limited thereto, but also may be provided in the vacuum deposition system 200, in particular in the deposition chamber 204 and / or at least one additional chamber 210. The tracks may also include.

[00112] In view of the above, the conveyance of the mask arrangement 20 from the inspection chamber 201 to the deposition chamber 204 may define a mask arrangement conveyance path D (shown in FIG. 8B). In the present disclosure, the term “path” is not limited thereto, and any term that defines a path between at least the inspection chamber 201 and the deposition chamber 204, in which the mask arrangement 20 can be carried along. Can include them.

[00113] In the following, the terms “upstream / downstream” as described herein may be understood in the context of “mask arrangement delivery path (D)” as defined herein. For example, given at least one particular point, “upstream” can be understood in particular as part of the mask arrangement carrying path D between the starting point and the at least one particular point. The term "downstream" may be understood as part of the mask arrangement delivery path D between at least one particular point and the end point.

[00114] In view of the foregoing, the vacuum deposition system may be defined as including an inspection chamber 201 arranged “upstream” of the deposition chamber 204 with respect to the mask arrangement delivery path D.

[00115] In addition, the vacuum deposition system 200 may be configured to first inspect the mask arrangement 20 in the inspection chamber 201 and then convey the mask arrangement to the deposition chamber 204. In other words, the vacuum deposition system may be configured such that inspection of the mask arrangement 20 in the inspection chamber 201 may occur “before” deposition in the deposition chamber 204. In view of the foregoing, vacuum deposition system 200 may be understood as including an inspection chamber 201 arranged “before” the deposition chamber 204.

[00116] In further embodiments that may be combined with embodiments as described herein, the test chamber 201 and the deposition chamber 204 may be “indirectly connected” to each other. In other words, the inspection chamber 201 and the deposition chamber 204 may be separated by at least a first additional chamber, such as a transfer chamber. Additionally, the delivery system 206 can be configured to carry the mask arrangement 20 from the inspection chamber 201 to the deposition chamber 204 and extend through at least the first additional chamber.

[00117] In further embodiments that may be combined with embodiments as described herein, the test chamber 201 and the deposition chamber 204 may be “directly connected” to each other. In other words, the inspection chamber 201 and the deposition chamber 204 may be in contact.

[00118] Vacuum deposition system 200 may further include a preparation and / or conditioning area configured to provide mask arrangement 20. Additionally, the preparation and / or conditioning area may be positioned upstream of the test chamber 201. Preparation and / or conditioning of the mask arrangement 20 may occur prior to optical inspection of the mask arrangement 20.

[00119] The preparation and / or conditioning area may include a mask handling tool (not shown) configured to provide the mask arrangement 20 by at least connecting the mask 60 to the mask carrier 207. In some embodiments, the mask handling tool may be “directly connected” to the inspection chamber 201. In further embodiments, the mask handling tool and the inspection chamber 201 may be “indirectly connected” to each other, in particular, separated by at least a second additional chamber.

[00120] Preparation and / or conditioning of the mask arrangement 20 may occur in the mask handling tool, and then the mask arrangement 20 may be conveyed into the inspection chamber. The mask handling tool may be configured to attach the mask to the mask carrier to provide a mask arrangement to be inspected in the inspection chamber.

[00121] As described herein, when entering the inspection chamber 201, the mask arrangement 20 may be deformed, in particular the mask 60 may be deformed. Variations as described herein may involve deviations in the mask arrangement, in particular in the relative positioning of at least one of the plurality of deposition openings of the mask 60 relative to at least one of the mask frame and the mask carrier 207. May cause deviations.

[00122] In view of the foregoing, FIG. 7 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a system 300 for aligning a substrate arrangement with respect to a mask arrangement 20, in accordance with embodiments as described herein. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the vacuum deposition system 200 may be provided with a second alignment system 223 provided in the deposition chamber 204, and the second alignment system 223 may include a mask arrangement. It is configured to align the substrate arrangement, in particular the substrate 40 with respect to 20. Additionally, the vacuum deposition system is configured to determine the alignment data for the mask arrangement 20 from the information data obtained by the optical inspection device 203 and forward the alignment data to the second alignment system 223. May further comprise a processing device 301.

[00123] The system 300 may include an optical inspection device 203 for optically inspecting the relative position of the mask arrangement 20 relative to the substrate 40, the mask arrangement 20 being in the deposition chamber 204. Utilized to deposit material on the substrate 40, and the optical inspection device 203 is positioned “upstream” of the deposition chamber 204.

[00124] In addition, the system is configured to adjust the position of the substrate 40 relative to the mask arrangement 20 based on the processing device 301 for calculating the corresponding offset value of the mask arrangement, and the calculated offset value of the mask arrangement. Adjustment device 302 for the control.

[00125] The adjustment device 302 can be coupled to the alignment actuators 303, 304 of the second alignment system 223, in particular the second alignment system 223. Alignment actuators 303 and 304 may be configured to control and change the position of substrate 40 relative to mask arrangement 20. As illustratively shown in FIG. 7, the adjustment device 302 may be separated from the alignment actuators 303, 304. According to further embodiments of the present disclosure, the adjustment device 302 may be integrated into one or both alignment actuators 303, 304, wherein the alignment actuators 303, 304 may be processed by the processing device 301. Directly controlled by

[00126] The data information of the mask arrangement 20, in particular the alignment data, may be "forwarded" to the second alignment system 223 as described herein. Based on the received alignment data, the second alignment system 223 may be configured to align the substrate arrangement with respect to the mask arrangement 20, in particular, the substrate 40 with respect to the mask arrangement 20. In other words, system 300 may be understood as a "feed forward" system.

[00127] In view of the above, the deviation of the mask arrangement 20, in particular the mask, can be advantageously compensated for in the deposition chamber 204. The high quality of OLED manufacturing can be advantageously improved.

[00128] 8A and 8B show schematic cross-sectional views of a vacuum processing system 1100 in accordance with further additional embodiments as described herein. 8A is a schematic diagram of a vacuum processing system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure having two or more vacuum cluster chambers and a plurality of processing chambers connected to one or more of the vacuum cluster chambers. FIG. 8B is a schematic diagram of the vacuum processing system of FIG. 8A, illustrating exemplary substrate traffic or flow of substrates within the vacuum processing system. The vacuum processing system 1100 provides a combination of cluster arrangements and in-line arrangements. A plurality of processing chambers 1120 is provided. Processing chambers 1120 may be connected to vacuum rotating chambers 1130. Vacuum rotating chambers 1130 are provided in an in-line arrangement. The vacuum rotation chambers 1130 may rotate the substrates to move in and out of the processing chambers 1120. Combinations of cluster arrangements and in-line arrangements can be considered hybrid arrangements. Vacuum processing system 1100 with a hybrid arrangement allows for a plurality of processing chambers 1120. The length of the vacuum processing system still does not exceed certain limits.

[00129] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a cluster chamber or vacuum cluster chamber is a chamber, such as a transfer chamber, in which two or more processing chambers are configured to be connected thereto. Thus, vacuum rotating chambers 1130 are examples of cluster chambers. Cluster chambers may be provided in an in-line arrangement of the hybrid arrangement.

[00130] A vacuum rotating chamber or rotating module (also referred to herein as a "routing module" or "routing chamber") may be understood as a vacuum chamber configured to change the conveying direction of one or more carriers, such conveying direction being a rotating module It can be changed by rotating one or more carriers located on the tracks of. For example, the vacuum rotation chamber may include a rotation device configured to rotate tracks configured to support carriers about an axis of rotation, such as a vertical axis of rotation. In some embodiments, the rotation module includes at least two tracks that can be rotated about an axis of rotation. The first track, in particular the first substrate carrier track, can be arranged on the first side of the axis of rotation, and the second track, in particular the second substrate carrier track, can be arranged on the second side of the axis of rotation.

[00131] In some embodiments, the rotation module comprises four tracks, in particular two mask carrier tracks and two substrate carrier tracks, which can be rotated about an axis of rotation.

[00132] If the rotating module rotates by an angle of x °, for example 90 °, the conveying direction of one or more carriers arranged on the tracks can be changed by an angle of x °, for example 90 °. The rotation of the rotary module by an angle of 180 ° may correspond to the track switch, ie the position of the first substrate carrier track of the rotary module and the position of the second substrate carrier track of the rotary module may be swapped or swapped. And / or the position of the first mask carrier track of the rotation module and the position of the second mask carrier track of the rotation module can be exchanged or swapped.

[00133] In the present disclosure, reference is made to chambers connected to one another. The connected chambers can be connected directly, for example a flange of one chamber is connected to a flange of an adjacent chamber. Alternatively, the chambers may be connected to one another, for example by means of a connecting unit providing vacuum seals or other connecting elements or providing slit valves or other elements provided between two adjacent chambers. The connection unit is very short compared to the length of the large area substrate and can be distinguished from the vacuum chamber. For example, the connection unit has a length of 20% or less of the length of the substrate. According to embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, a first chamber connected to a second chamber can be understood that the first chamber is adjacent to the second chamber, eg, without an intermediate chamber. . As described above, the first chamber can be connected directly to the second chamber or via a connection unit.

[00134] 8A shows a vacuum processing system 1100, and FIG. 8B illustrates substrate traffic in a vacuum processing system. The substrate enters the vacuum processing system 1100, for example, in a vacuum swing module 1110. According to further embodiments, a load lock chamber may be connected to the vacuum swing module for loading and unloading substrates into the vacuum processing system. Vacuum swing modules typically receive the substrate directly or through a load lock chamber from the interface of the device manufacturing factory. Typically, the interface provides a substrate, such as a large area substrate, in a horizontal orientation. The vacuum swing module moves the substrate from an orientation provided by the factory interface to an essentially vertical orientation. The essentially vertical orientation of the substrate is maintained during processing of the substrate in the vacuum processing system 1100 until the substrate is moved back to, for example, a horizontal orientation. Swinging, moving, or rotating the substrate by an angle is illustrated by arrow 1191 in FIG. 8B.

[00135]  According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the vacuum swing module may be a vacuum chamber for movement from the first substrate orientation to the second substrate orientation. For example, the first substrate orientation can be a non-vertical orientation, such as a horizontal orientation, and the second substrate orientation can be a non-horizontal orientation, such as a vertical orientation or an essentially vertical orientation. According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the vacuum swing module is configured to selectively position the substrate therein in a first orientation with respect to the horizontal orientation and in a second orientation with respect to the horizontal orientation. It may be a substrate repositioning chamber configured.

[00136] In further embodiments, the vacuum processing system 1100 may include an inspection chamber as described herein. In particular, the vacuum processing system 1100 may include an inspection chamber suitable for inspecting the quality of the mask arrangement, in particular an inspection chamber configured to inspect the quality of the mask arrangement.

[00137] An inspection chamber (not shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B) according to the embodiments described above may be arranged upstream of the processing chamber, in particular upstream of the deposition chamber along the mask transport path.

[00138] The substrate is moved through a buffer chamber 1112 (see FIG. 8A), for example, as indicated by arrow 1192. The substrate is further moved into the processing chamber 1120 through a cluster chamber, such as a vacuum rotating chamber 1130. The processing chambers may be deposition chambers that are each configured to deposit material on a substrate through a mask.

[00139] In this disclosure, reference is made in particular to manufacturing OLED flat panel displays for mobile devices. However, similar considerations, examples, embodiments, and aspects may also be provided for other substrate processing applications. In the case of an OLED mobile display, a common metal mask (CMM) is provided to the processing chamber 1120-I. The CMM provides an edge exclusion mask for each mobile display. Each mobile display is masked with one opening and the areas on the substrate corresponding to the areas between the displays are mainly covered by the CMM.

[00140] Subsequently, the substrate is out of the processing chamber 1120, into an adjacent cluster chamber, such as a vacuum rotating chamber 1130, through the first transfer chamber 1182, through the additional cluster chamber, and the processing chamber 1120-II. Is moved into. This is indicated by arrow 1194 in FIG. 8B. In the processing chamber 1120-II, a hole transfer layer (HTL) is deposited on the substrate. Similar to the hole injection layer, the hole transport layer is made of a conventional metal mask with one opening per mobile display. In addition, the substrate is out of the processing chamber 1120-II, into an adjacent cluster chamber, such as the vacuum rotating chamber 1130, through the second transfer chamber 1184, through the additional cluster chamber, and the processing chamber 1120-. III) are moved into. This is indicated by an additional arrow 1194 in FIG. 8B.

[00141] A transfer chamber or transit module can be understood as a vacuum module or vacuum chamber that can be inserted between at least two other vacuum modules or vacuum chambers, such as between vacuum rotating chambers. Carriers, such as mask carriers and / or substrate carriers, can be conveyed through the transfer chamber in the longitudinal direction of the transfer chamber. The longitudinal direction of the transfer chamber may correspond to the main conveying direction of the vacuum processing system, ie the in-line arrangement of the cluster chambers. At least one of the transfer chambers may be configured as an inspection chamber configured to inspect a mask arrangement, in accordance with embodiments described herein.

[00142] In the processing chamber 1120-III, an electron blocking layer (EB) is deposited on the substrate. The electron blocking layer may be deposited with a fine metal mask (FFM). The fine metal mask has a plurality of openings sized, for example, in the micron range. The plurality of micro apertures corresponds to the color of the pixel of the mobile display or the pixel of the mobile display. Thus, the FFM and the substrate need to be aligned very precisely with respect to each other to have the alignment of the pixels on the micron range display.

[00143] The substrate is moved from processing chamber 1120-III to processing chamber 1120-IV, subsequently to processing chamber 1120-V, and to processing chamber 1120-VI. For each of the conveying paths, the substrate is moved out of the processing chamber, such as into the vacuum rotating chamber, through the transfer chamber, through the vacuum rotating chamber, and into the next processing chamber. For example, an OLED layer for red pixels can be deposited in chamber 1120-IV, an OLED layer for green pixels can be deposited in chamber 1120-V, and an OLED layer for blue pixels can be deposited in chamber ( 1120-VI). Each of the layers for color pixels is deposited with a fine metal mask. The individual fine metal masks are different such that pixel dots of different colors are adjacent to each other on the substrate to provide the appearance of one pixel. As indicated by an additional arrow 1194 extending from the processing chamber 1120-VI to the processing chamber 1120-VII, the substrate is moved out of the processing chamber, into the cluster chamber, through the transfer chamber, through the additional cluster chamber, And may be moved into a subsequent processing chamber. In the processing chamber 1120-VII, an electron transfer layer (ETL) may be deposited with a conventional metal mask (CMM).

[00144] The substrate traffic described above for one substrate is similar for a plurality of substrates processed simultaneously in the vacuum processing system 1100. According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the tact time, ie time period, of the system can be 180 seconds or less, such as 60 seconds to 180 seconds. Thus, the substrate is processed within this time period, ie, the first exemplary time period T. In the processing chambers described above and subsequent processing chambers described below, one substrate is processed within the first time period T, and the other substrate just processed is moved out of the processing chamber within the first time period T. And another additional substrate to be processed is moved into the processing chamber within the first time period T. One substrate may be processed in each of the processing chambers, while two additional substrates participate in substrate traffic for this processing chamber, ie, during the first time period T, one additional substrate is used for individual processing Unloaded from the chamber and one substrate is loaded into an individual processing chamber.

[00145] The above described route of an example substrate from processing chamber 1120-I to processing chamber 1120-VII is provided in a row of processing chambers of vacuum processing system 1100, such as the lower row of FIGS. 8A and 8B. do. The row or bottom portion of the vacuum processing system is indicated by arrow 1032 in FIG. 8B.

[00146] According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrates may, in one row or part of a vacuum processing system, from one end of the in-line arrangement of cluster chambers. May be routed to opposite ends of the in-line arrangement of the cluster chambers. At the opposite end of the in-line arrangement, such as the vacuum rotation chamber 1130 on the right side of FIG. 8A, the substrate is transferred to another row or other portion of the vacuum processing system. This is indicated by arrow 1195 in FIG. 8B. In another row or other portion of the vacuum processing system, indicated by arrow 1034 in FIG. 8B, the substrate is separated from the opposite end of the in-line arrangement of the cluster chambers, that is, of the in-line arrangement of the cluster chambers. It is processed in subsequent processing chambers while moving to the start end.

[00147] In the example shown in FIG. 8A, the example substrate is moved to processing chamber 1120-VIII and subsequently to processing chamber 1120-IX. For example, a metallization layer, which may illustratively form the cathode of an OLED device, may be deposited in the processing chamber 1120-VIII with, for example, a conventional metal mask as described above. For example, one or more of the following metals: Al, Au, Ag, Cu may be deposited in some of the deposition modules. At least one material may be a transparent conductive oxide material, such as ITO. At least one material may be a transparent material. Thereafter, a capping layer (CPL) is deposited in the processing chamber 1120-IX, for example, with a conventional metal mask.

[00148] According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, an additional processing chamber 1120-X may be provided. For example, such a processing chamber may be a substitute processing chamber that replaces one of the other processing chambers while the other processing chamber is under maintenance.

[00149] After final processing, the substrate may be moved through the buffer chamber 1112 to the vacuum swing module 1110, ie, the substrate repositioning chamber. This is indicated by arrow 1193 in FIG. 8B. In a vacuum swing module, the substrate is moved from a processing orientation, ie an essentially vertical orientation, to a substrate orientation, such as a horizontal orientation, that corresponds to the interface with the factory.

[00150] 8A and 8B show, for example, transfer chambers provided between cluster chambers, such as rotation generating chambers. 8A and 8B show first transfer chambers 1182 and second transfer chambers 1184. Reducing the footprint of the vacuum processing system as well as reducing the distance between adjacent or subsequent processing chambers is believed to suggest a reduction in the lengths of the transfer chambers. According to embodiments described herein, a vacuum processing system is at least a first type of transfer chamber of a first length, ie a first transfer chamber 1182, and a second type having a second length different from the first length. Transfer chamber, ie, second transfer chamber 1184.

[00151] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a vacuum processing system may be provided for depositing a plurality of layers on a substrate. The vacuum processing system includes a first transfer chamber having a first length and connected to a vacuum chamber; And a second transfer chamber coupled to the vacuum chamber, wherein the second transfer chamber has a second length shorter than the first length.

[00152] In further embodiments that can be combined with the embodiments described herein, a vacuum deposition system includes a reference substrate as described herein (a reference substrate comprising a reference substrate base provided with a reference pattern), more particularly, FIG. A reference substrate according to the embodiments of 1 may be provided.

[00153] In further embodiments that may be combined with embodiments as described herein, a vacuum deposition system as described herein may be used to describe a method for handling a mask arrangement as described herein, in particular, FIGS. It may be configured to perform the method according to the embodiments of FIG. 5.

[00154] According to embodiments described herein, a method for handling a mask arrangement may be performed using computer programs, software, computer software products, and interrelated controllers, wherein the interrelated controllers may include a CPU, a memory. , User interface, and input and output devices in communication with the imaging device and / or corresponding components of the system for vacuum processing.

[00155] While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the present disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope of the present disclosure is set forth in the claims below. Determined by

Claims (16)

A method for handling mask arrangement,
Receiving the mask arrangement in an inspection chamber, wherein a reference substrate is provided in the inspection chamber;
Aligning the mask arrangement with respect to the reference substrate; And
Inspecting a relative positioning between at least one portion of the mask arrangement and at least one portion of the reference substrate using an optical inspection device to obtain information data for the mask arrangement, Method for handling mask arrangement. The method of claim 1,
The information data,
Information about the quality of the mask arrangement;
An offset value corresponding to an offset value between the plurality of deposition openings of the mask and the reference pattern of the reference substrate, in particular, an offset value corresponding to a local offset between the plurality of deposition openings of the mask and the reference pattern of the reference substrate; And
Information on relative positioning between the mask and a mask carrier carrying the mask
A method for handling a mask arrangement, comprising at least one of. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Prior to receiving the mask arrangement in the inspection chamber,
Attaching a mask to a mask carrier to provide the mask arrangement;
Changing the orientation of the mask, in particular from an essentially horizontal orientation to an essentially vertical orientation; And
Conditioning the mask
Further comprising at least one of: a method for handling a mask arrangement. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Subsequent to acquiring the information data,
Conveying the mask arrangement from the inspection chamber to a deposition chamber; And
Utilizing the mask arrangement for deposition on a substrate to be processed in the deposition chamber
Further comprising a method for handling of the mask arrangement. The method of claim 4, wherein
Aligning a substrate to be processed with respect to the mask arrangement in the deposition chamber based on the alignment data based on the information data or determined from the information data. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
At least one of the reference substrate and the mask arrangement is provided with reference markers, in particular fiducial markers, used as reference points for alignment. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The mask has a plurality of deposition openings,
The reference substrate is provided with a reference pattern,
Checking the relative positioning comprises:
Capturing at least one image of at least one portion of the reference pattern and at least one portion of the plurality of deposition openings using the optical inspection device; And
Determining a local offset between at least one portion of the plurality of deposition openings and at least one portion of the reference pattern
Comprising a mask arrangement for handling. The method of claim 7, wherein
The reference pattern includes a plurality of reference pixels,
At least one subset of the plurality of reference pixels is arranged in a pattern corresponding to at least one portion of a target pattern for the plurality of deposition openings of the mask. In particular, as a reference substrate for optical inspection of the mask arrangement according to the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
A reference substrate base provided with a reference pattern,
The reference pattern includes a plurality of reference pixels,
And at least one of said reference pixels is provided with an optically readable label for providing reference pixel information. The method of claim 9,
And the optically readable label comprises at least one of a linear barcode and a 2D barcode. The method of claim 9 or 10,
Wherein the reference pixel information comprises at least one of a pixel type, pixel color, pixel position, relative position of pixel, absolute position of pixel, pixel row, and pixel column. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11,
Wherein the reference pattern corresponds to a pixel pattern suitable for an OLED display. A vacuum deposition system,
Test Chamber-The test chamber,
A first alignment system configured to align the mask arrangement relative to the reference substrate, and
An optical inspection device configured to optically inspect the mask arrangement
Is provided;
A deposition chamber, the deposition chamber being provided with a deposition source configured to deposit material on a substrate to be processed via the mask arrangement; And
And a conveying system configured to convey the mask arrangement from the inspection chamber to the deposition chamber. The method of claim 13,
The reference substrate is provided in the inspection chamber, the reference substrate comprises a reference substrate base provided with a reference pattern,
In particular, a vacuum deposition system in which the reference substrate according to claim 9 is provided in the inspection chamber. The method according to claim 13 or 14,
The inspection chamber is arranged along a mask conveyance path, the vacuum being arranged downstream of the mask handling tool and / or upstream of the deposition chamber configured to provide a mask arrangement by connecting the mask to the mask carrier. Deposition system. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15,
A second alignment system is provided in the deposition chamber, the second alignment system configured to align the mask arrangement relative to the substrate,
The vacuum deposition system further comprises a processing device configured to determine alignment data from the information data obtained by the optical inspection device and to forward the alignment data to the second alignment system.

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