KR20220123012A - Crucible for deposition and deposition apparatus including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The crucible for deposition according to this embodiment includes a crucible body in the shape of a cylindrical container in which a deposition raw material is contained; and a crucible cap in the shape of a cylindrical cover provided on the upper side of the crucible body and having at least one nozzle on which the deposition material is sprayed on the upper surface, wherein the crucible body includes a female thread formed on the upper inner circumferential surface, and the The crucible cap includes a male thread formed on an outer circumferential surface to engage with a female thread of the crucible body.

Description

Crucible for deposition and deposition apparatus including the same

The present invention relates to a crucible for deposition, which can effectively prevent leakage of a metal deposition material from the crucible, and a deposition apparatus including the same.

Deposition is a method of coating gaseous particles with a thin solid film on the surface of an object such as metal or glass.

Recently, as the use of organic light emitting diodes (OLED) displays increases in electronic devices such as TVs and mobile phones, research on devices for manufacturing OLED display panels is active. In particular, the OLED display panel manufacturing process includes a process of depositing an organic material or an inorganic material on a glass substrate in a vacuum state.

The deposition process is a process of heating a crucible in which a deposition raw material such as an organic/inorganic material is accommodated to evaporate the deposition raw material into a gaseous deposition material, and the gaseous deposition material passes through a nozzle and is deposited on the substrate. process includes.

Unlike organic materials, inorganic materials may include metals, and metals such as Al, Ag, and Mg used to form a metal thin film are used as deposition materials.

In order to evaporate these metal deposition materials, a deposition apparatus including a crucible and a heater for heating the crucible to a high temperature is used.

Korean Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-0121172 (filed on April 5, 2013) discloses a vacuum chamber; a substrate support for supporting a substrate to be processed for thin film deposition in the vacuum chamber; and a deposition source supplying a deposition material to the target substrate, wherein the deposition source includes: a crucible having a deposition material accommodating part accommodating the deposition material, and a first flange at an upper end of the deposition material accommodating part; a discharging nozzle through which the vaporized deposition material is discharged, and a second flange disposed at a lower end of the discharging unit and in contact with the first flange; and a cooling member attached to the outside of the first flange and the second flange.

In the thin film deposition apparatus, the first flange of the crucible and the second flange of the spray nozzle are engaged with each other, and the cooling member cools the first and second flanges, thereby preventing the deposition material from leaking between the crucible and the spray nozzle. can

However, it is difficult to process so that the first flange of the crucible and the second flange of the spray nozzle occlude, and even if the first flange of the crucible and the second flange of the spray nozzle are precisely machined and occluded, a predetermined gap is inevitably formed therebetween. none.

In addition, the cooling member whose installation position is limited to the outside of the first and second flanges cannot sufficiently cool and solidify the deposition material of the metal that has penetrated between the first flange of the crucible and the second flange of the spray nozzle due to a limitation in cooling capacity.

Therefore, as the deposition material of the metal evaporated in the form of molecules at the nm level leaks between the first flange of the crucible and the second flange of the spray nozzle, the thickness of the thin film formed on the deposited object becomes non-uniform, so that the defect rate can be increased, and the deposition process There is a problem that lowers the operation rate of the

In addition, when the metal deposition material leaks between the crucible and the spray nozzle, it may be deposited on a heater provided outside the crucible, as well as a clamp for fixing the heater to the heater frame.

Accordingly, there is a problem in that the heater is contaminated and a conductive metal thin film is formed on the clamp of an insulating material, which causes an electric current to generate an overcurrent, thereby damaging the deposition source.

The present invention has been devised to solve the problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a crucible for deposition capable of effectively preventing leakage of a metal deposition material from the crucible and a deposition apparatus including the same.

In addition, even if the deposition material of the metal leaks from the crucible, it is possible to minimize the amount of leakage of the deposition material, or to provide a deposition crucible capable of adjusting the leakage direction of the deposition material to a position that does not cause defects, and a deposition apparatus including the same. .

The crucible for deposition according to this embodiment includes a crucible body in the shape of a cylindrical container in which a deposition raw material is contained; and a crucible cap in the shape of a cylindrical cover provided on the upper side of the crucible body and having at least one nozzle on which the deposition material is sprayed on the upper surface, wherein the crucible body includes a female thread formed on the upper inner circumferential surface, and the The crucible cap includes a male thread formed on an outer circumferential surface to engage with a female thread of the crucible body.

The crucible body includes a body flange portion extending outwardly from the top of the crucible.

The crucible cap includes a cover flange portion extending outwardly on the upper surface to engage the body flange portion.

The crucible for deposition of this embodiment further includes a pressure control panel installed to cross the inner circumferential surface of the crucible body and provided with a plurality of holes.

In the pressure control panel, the area of the holes is formed to be 10% or less of the total area of the pressure control panel.

The crucible body includes a step portion formed to reduce the diameter of the inner circumferential surface on the lower side of the female thread, and the pressure control panel is seated on the step portion.

The pressure control panel is disposed to be spaced apart from the lower end of the crucible cap by a predetermined interval.

The crucible body and the crucible cap are made of one of graphite and titanium materials.

The deposition apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a crucible comprising a crucible body having a cylindrical container shape, a crucible cap coupled to an upper side of the crucible body, and a crucible cap having a cylindrical cover shape having at least one nozzle disposed on the top surface; and a heater part for heating the crucible, wherein the crucible body includes a body flange part extending outward from an upper end, and the crucible cap is extended outwardly on the upper surface to engage the body flange part. A second flange portion is included, wherein the body flange portion or the cover flange portion is seated on the upper end of the heater portion and is formed to extend further outward than the heater portion.

The heater part includes a heater frame disposed to be spaced apart from the outside of the crucible body, and a heater mounted on an inner circumferential surface of the heater frame, wherein the body flange part or the cover flange part is seated on the upper end of the heater frame, and the heater It is formed to extend further outward than the frame.

The deposition apparatus of this embodiment further includes a chamber in which the crucible and the heater part are built in the lower side, and the vapor-deposited object in which the deposition material is deposited is disposed on the upper side, wherein the outer peripheral ends of the body flange part and the cover flange part, It is disposed to be spaced apart from the inner circumferential surface of the chamber by a predetermined distance.

According to the present embodiment, leakage of the deposition material between the crucible body and the crucible cap can be prevented by the surface contact structure of the body flange part and the cap flange part as well as the screw thread fastening structure between the crucible body and the crucible cap.

Therefore, since the thickness of the film foil can be formed uniformly on a to-be-deposited object, the operation rate of a vapor deposition process can be raised.

In addition, since the flange portion of the crucible side is seated on the upper end of the heater frame on the heater side, and the flange portion of the crucible side is extended to a position spaced apart from the inner circumferential surface of the chamber by a predetermined distance, even if the deposition material is leaked between the body flange portion and the cap flange portion, the heater portion It is possible to prevent deposition on the

Therefore, it is possible to reduce contamination of the heater and surrounding structures by the deposition of the deposition material, and to prevent the heater from being damaged by preventing overcurrent of the heater by the deposition material. In addition, durability and service life of the deposition apparatus can be increased, and a process stop due to defects during mass production and a period of periodic repair, maintenance and repair can be shortened, thereby reducing production costs.

1 is a view showing a deposition apparatus according to the present embodiment.
2 is a view showing a crucible and a heater according to the present embodiment.
3 is a view showing a pressure control panel applied to the present embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a deposition apparatus according to this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a view showing a crucible and a heater unit according to this embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a view showing a pressure control panel applied to this embodiment.

The deposition apparatus of the present embodiment may include a vacuum chamber 1 and a deposition source 100 for evaporating a deposition material in the vacuum chamber 1 .

A transfer mechanism 3 for fixing the vapor-deposited object 2 is provided on the ceiling of the vacuum chamber 1 , and the transfer mechanism 3 can horizontally fix the vapor-deposited object 2 to the upper side of the deposition source 100 . . The vapor-deposited object 2 may be variously configured including a glass substrate.

A driving unit 4 on which the deposition source 100 is seated is provided at a lower portion of the vacuum chamber 1 , and at least one driving unit 4 is fixed to the vacuum chamber 1 in the horizontal or vertical direction of the vapor-deposited object 2 . direction can be moved. The driving unit 4 may move at least the deposition source 100 in a range wider than the width of the vapor-deposited object 2 . However, the deposition source 100 may be in a fixed position without being moved.

The deposition source 100 is a device for supplying a deposition material for forming a thin film M on the deposition target 2 , and includes a crucible 110 accommodating the deposition material, and a heater unit provided to surround the crucible 110 . (120) may be included.

The deposition raw material and the deposition material are metal materials such as aluminum for depositing on the object to be deposited, the deposition raw material is a metal material in a solid/liquid state filled in the crucible 100 , and the deposition material is a gaseous state evaporated in the crucible 100 . of a metal material, and is merely classified for convenience of explanation, and need not be limited.

The crucible 110 of this embodiment is for evaporating the deposition raw material into a deposition material, and may be composed of a crucible body 111 , a crucible cap 112 , and a pressure control panel 113 , and maintain strength even under high temperature. and may be composed of one of graphite and titanium materials that do not affect the deposition material, but is not limited thereto.

The crucible body 111 is configured as a cylindrical container with an open upper surface, can accommodate a deposition material, and can evaporate the deposition material into a deposition material at a high temperature.

The body flange portion 111f extends radially to the upper end of the crucible body 111 , and may extend to a position spaced apart from the inner circumferential surface of the chamber 1 by a predetermined distance. It is preferable that the radial length L1 of the body flange portion 111f is longer than the radial length L2 of the heater frame 121 to be described below.

The body flange portion 111f may be supported on the upper end of the heater frame 121 , and the crucible body 111 may be accommodated in the heater frame 121 to maintain a predetermined distance, and may not be in contact.

The female thread 111a is formed on the upper inner circumferential surface of the crucible body 111 , and may be engaged with the male thread 112a on the side of the crucible cap 112 to be described below.

The step portion 111b may be provided on the inner circumferential surface of the crucible body 111 so as to be positioned below the female thread 111a by a predetermined interval, and the pressure control panel 113 may be seated on the step portion 111b. An upper inner diameter D1 of the crucible body 111 may be larger than a lower inner diameter d1 of the crucible body 111 based on the step portion 111b.

The crucible cap 112 is composed of a cylindrical cover, and may be mounted to block the upper surface of the crucible body 111 . The outer diameter D2 of the crucible cap 112 is configured to have a predetermined tolerance than the upper inner diameter D1 of the crucible body 111, and the height of the crucible cap 112 is a step portion ( 111b) can be configured lower than the height.

When the crucible cap 112 is mounted on the crucible body 111, the lower end of the crucible cap 112 may be mounted to press the outer circumferential surface of the pressure control panel 113 seated on the crucible body 111, but is not limited thereto.

At least one or more nozzles N for uniformly discharging the deposition material may be provided to protrude upward from the upper surface of the crucible cap 112 , and the position and shape of the nozzles N are not limited.

The cover flange portion 112f extends radially to the upper surface of the crucible cap 112 so as to make surface contact with the body flange portion 111f, and similarly, it may extend to a position spaced apart from the inner peripheral surface of the chamber 1 by a predetermined distance. It is preferable that the radial length L1 of the cover flange portion 112f is also longer than the radial length L2 of the heater frame 121 to be described below.

The male thread 112a is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the crucible cap 112 , and may be engaged with the female thread 111a of the crucible body 111 side described above. That is, when the crucible cap 112 is assembled to the crucible body 111, the outer circumferential surface of the crucible cap 112 is accommodated in the inner circumferential surface of the crucible body 111, and the male thread 112a of the crucible cap 112 is the crucible body. (111) may be mounted to engage with the female thread (111a).

The pressure control panel 113 may be mounted to cross the inner circumferential surface of the crucible body 111 in order to control the evaporation pressure of the deposition material.

The pressure control panel 113 has a disk shape, and may be provided with a plurality of holes 113h through which the deposition material may pass, and the holes 113h are not provided at the outer peripheral ends 113a at predetermined intervals. Of course, the diameter d3 of the pressure control panel 113 is smaller than the upper inner diameter D1 of the crucible body 111 so that it can be seated on the step portion 111b inside the crucible body 111 and the lower portion of the crucible body 111 . It should be configured to be larger than the inner diameter (d1).

The outer peripheral end 113a of the pressure control panel may be seated on the crucible body 111 side step portion 111b, and may be pressed by the lower end of the crucible cap 112, but is not limited thereto.

As the area ratio of the holes 113h is smaller than the total area of the pressure control panel 113 , the evaporation pressure of the deposition material may be increased. As the evaporation pressure of the deposition material increases, the diffusion distance of the deposition material may be increased. According to the embodiment, it is preferable that the area ratio of the holes 113h to the total area of the pressure control panel 113 be 10% or less.

Of course, since the evaporation pressure of the deposition material required for each process may be set differently, the area ratio of the holes 113h compared to the total area of the pressure control panel 113 may be changed, but is not limited thereto.

The heater unit 120 is for heating the crucible 110 , and may include a heater frame 121 , a heater 122 , and a clamp 123 .

The heater frame 121 is installed to surround the crucible body 111 in order to mount the heater 122 , and may be formed as a cylindrical container larger than the crucible body 111 and having an open upper surface.

The heater frame 121 may accommodate the crucible body 111 and support the body flange 111f and the cover flange part 112f. The height of the heater frame 121 may be configured to be greater than the height of the crucible body 111 , and the inner diameter of the heater frame 121 is configured to be larger than the outer diameter of the crucible body 111 , and the installation space and radiation of the heater 122 . It is preferable to be configured to be larger in consideration of the heat transfer space.

The crucible body 111 may be mounted in the center of the heater frame 121 to maintain a uniform distance between the outer circumferential surface of the crucible body 111 and the inner circumferential surface of the heater frame 121 .

The heater 122 is configured to generate high temperature as power is supplied, and is mounted on the inner wall of the heater frame 121 to heat the crucible body 111 . It may be provided to maintain a gap.

The clamp 123 is a means for fixing the heater 122 to the inner circumferential surface of the heater frame 121 , and may be configured in various ways, but is not limited thereto.

The mounting structure of the evaporation source 100 configured as described above is as follows.

The pressure control panel 113 may be seated on the step portion 111b on the side of the crucible body 111 , and the crucible cap 112 may be coupled to the upper side of the crucible body 111 . When the male thread 112a of the crucible cap 112 is assembled to engage the female thread 111a of the crucible body 111, the crucible cap 112 maintains a sealing state in the vertical direction on the upper side of the crucible body 111 and the body flange portion 111f and the cover flange portion 112f are in surface contact in the radial direction.

The crucible 110 assembled as described above is mounted on the heater part 120 , the body flange part 111f and the cover flange part 112f are supported by the heater frame 121 , and the crucible body 111 is the heater frame. 121 is built in the center.

When the mounted evaporation source 100 is mounted in the chamber 1 as described above, the deposition process may be performed as follows.

When the heater 122 is operated, the deposition raw material contained in the crucible body 111 is heated, the deposition material in a gaseous state is evaporated through the nozzle N of the crucible cap 112, and then inside the chamber 1 It is vapor-deposited on the vapor-deposited object 2 suspended, and can form the thin film M on the vapor-deposited object 2.

Some of the deposition material may escape between the crucible body 111 and the crucible cap 112 , but leakage of the deposition material is suppressed by the threaded fastening structure, and the surface of the body flange portion 111f and the cover flange portion 112f It can be blocked by contact.

In addition, even if a portion of the deposition material escapes through the gap h between the body flange portion 111f and the cover flange portion 112f, it does not leak into the heater frame 121, but escapes into the inner circumferential surface of the chamber 1 Since it exits, it is possible to prevent in advance that the deposition material is deposited on the heater 122 or the clamp 123 .

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical spirit of the present invention, and various modifications and variations will be possible without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains.

Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical spirit of the present invention, but to explain, and the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments.

The protection scope of the present invention should be construed by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent range should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

This embodiment can be applied to a deposition crucible for depositing a metal material in a thin film shape on a glass substrate and a deposition apparatus including the same when manufacturing an OLED display panel.

Claims (11)

A crucible body in the shape of a cylindrical container containing the deposition material; and
and a crucible cap in the shape of a cylindrical cover provided on the upper side of the crucible body and having at least one nozzle on which the deposition material is sprayed and provided on the upper surface;
The crucible body,
Including a female thread formed on the upper inner peripheral surface,
The crucible cap is,
A crucible for deposition comprising a male thread formed on an outer circumferential surface to engage the female thread of the crucible body. According to claim 1,
The crucible body,
A crucible for deposition including a body flange portion extending outward from the top. 3. The method of claim 2,
The crucible cap is,
A crucible for deposition comprising a cover flange portion extending outwardly on the upper surface to engage the body flange portion. According to claim 1,
The crucible for deposition further comprising; a pressure control panel installed to cross the inner circumferential surface of the crucible body and provided with a plurality of holes. 5. The method of claim 4,
The pressure control panel,
A crucible for deposition in which the area of the holes is 10% or less of the total area of the pressure control panel. 5. The method of claim 4,
The crucible body,
Including a step portion formed to reduce the diameter of the inner peripheral surface on the lower side of the female thread,
The pressure control panel,
A crucible for deposition that is seated on the step portion. 7. The method of claim 6,
The pressure control panel,
A crucible for deposition disposed to be spaced apart from the lower end of the crucible cap by a predetermined interval. According to claim 1,
The crucible body and the crucible cap,
A crucible for deposition composed of one of graphite and titanium materials. A crucible comprising: a crucible body having a cylindrical container shape; a crucible cap coupled to an upper side of the crucible body, and a crucible cap having a cylindrical cover shape having at least one nozzle disposed on the top surface; and
It includes; a heater unit for heating the crucible,
The crucible body,
Including a body flange portion extending outward from the top,
The crucible cap is,
and a cover flange portion extending outwardly on the upper surface to engage the body flange portion,
The body flange portion or the cover flange portion,
The deposition apparatus is seated on the upper end of the heater unit and is formed to further extend outward than the heater unit. 10. The method of claim 9,
The heater unit,
a heater frame disposed to be spaced apart from the outside of the crucible body;
Including a heater mounted on the inner peripheral surface of the heater frame,
The body flange portion or the cover flange portion,
A crucible for mounting that is seated on the upper end of the heater frame and is formed to extend further outward than the heater frame. 10. The method of claim 9,
Further comprising; a chamber in which the crucible and the heater unit are built in the lower side, and the vapor-deposited material on which the deposition material is deposited is disposed at the upper side,
The outer peripheral ends of the body flange portion and the cover flange portion,
A deposition apparatus disposed to be spaced apart from an inner circumferential surface of the chamber by a predetermined distance.

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