TW201914082A - a method for processing a plurality of masks in a vacuum coating process, a method for processing a plurality of substrates by depositing a plurality of different material layers, and a device for coating a plurality of substrates - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for handling several masks in a vacuum coating process is provided. Each mask is configured to be used in a coating process for a predetermined coating application time. The method includes providing several magazines each having several mask slots and classifying the several masks into at least two cluster groups depending on the coating application time of each mask. The method further includes assigning each of the at least two cluster groups to one or more of the several magazines and storing the several masks in the several magazines according to the assignment.

Description

Method for processing several masks in a vacuum coating process, method for processing several substrates by depositing several layers of different materials, and equipment for coating several substrates

The embodiments of the present disclosure are related to several methods for processing several masks, in particular, several masks with different coating application times. The embodiments of the present disclosure are also related to processing several substrates, especially for depositing two, three or more different materials on several substrates. Furthermore, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to several devices for coating several substrates. Several embodiments are particularly related to a number of methods for processing a number of substrates and a number of devices for coating a number of substrates, wherein a number of masks are used to deposit a predetermined structure on these substrates.

Optoelectronic devices using organic materials have become popular for several reasons. Many of the material systems used to make these devices are relatively inexpensive, so organic optoelectronic devices have the potential for cost advantages over inorganic device systems. The inherent properties of organic materials, such as the flexibility of organic materials, may be advantageous for applications such as deposition on flexible or non-flexible substrates. Examples of organic photovoltaic devices may include organic light emitting diode devices, organic photovoltaic crystals, organic photovoltaic cells, and organic light detectors.

Organic materials of organic light emitting diode (OLED) devices can have performance advantages over traditional materials. For example, the wavelength of light emitted by the organic light-emitting layer can be easily adjusted with an appropriate dopant. When voltage is supplied to the device, the OLED device is a thin organic film that emits light. OLED devices are becoming more interesting technologies for applications such as flat panel displays, light emitting, and backlighting.

The material is generally deposited on a substrate in a device for coating the substrate under sub-atmospheric pressure. This material is especially an organic material. During the deposition period, the mask may be disposed in front of the substrate, wherein the mask may have at least one opening or several openings. The at least one opening or openings define an opening pattern, corresponding to an example of a material pattern to be deposited on a substrate by evaporation. The substrate is generally disposed behind the mask during the deposition period and is aligned with the mask. For example, a mask carrier can be used to transfer the mask to the coating chamber of the vacuum processing system, and a substrate carrier can be used to transfer the substrate to the coating chamber to configure the substrate behind the mask.

Generally, two, three, five, ten, or more materials can be successively deposited on a substrate with different deposition thicknesses, for example, for manufacturing a color display. During this process, not only the substrate is coated, but the material is also deposited on the mask. Therefore, when the openings of the mask begin to block, the mask must be replaced from time to time. The special mask processing method for large equipment for coating substrates is to improve the overall process efficiency, and the coating quality will be advantageous. At the same time, considering the need for effective mask processing in large equipment for coating substrates, the processing method and equipment for coating will be advantageous, and used to manufacture high-quality coating layers, especially for Manufacturing of OLED devices.

In view of the foregoing, several methods for operating several devices for coating several substrates, and several devices for coating several substrates are proposed to deposit different materials on several substrates.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for processing several masks in a vacuum coating process is proposed. Each mask is assembled to use a predetermined coating application time in a coating process. The method includes providing a plurality of cassettes, each having a plurality of mask slots, and classifying the masks into at least two cluster groups according to the application time of the masks. The method further includes allocating the at least two cluster groups to one or more of the bins, and storing the masks in the bins according to the assignment.

According to other aspects of the present disclosure, a method for processing a plurality of substrates by depositing a plurality of different material layers is proposed. This method includes a method for processing several masks as described herein. The method further includes transmitting a first mask of the masks in a first cassette to a first coating chamber, and preferably transmitting one of the masks in the first cassette at the same time point. The second mask is connected to a second coating chamber. The method further includes depositing a first material in the first coating chamber by using the first mask, and depositing a second material in the second coating chamber by using the second mask.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a device for coating a plurality of substrates is proposed. The apparatus includes a plurality of coating chambers each including a plurality of masking grooves; and a first cassette including a plurality of masking grooves. The first cassette is assembled to supply a number of masks to a predetermined number of combinations of one of these coating chambers. The number of masking slots in the first box is greater than or less than the number of masking slots in a predetermined combination of the coating chambers.

Other aspects, advantages, and features of this disclosure will become clearer through the description and accompanying drawings. In order to have a better understanding of the above and other aspects of the present invention, the following specific examples are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

Detailed reference will be made in several embodiments, one or more examples of which are shown in the drawings. The examples are provided by way of illustration and are not meant to be limiting. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used in or combined with any other embodiment to obtain yet other embodiments. This means that this description includes such adjustments and changes.

In the description of the drawings below, the same reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. Generally, only the differences between the individual embodiments are described. Unless stated otherwise, the description of one part or aspect in one embodiment is also applied to the corresponding part or aspect in another embodiment.

Figure 1 shows a schematic layout of a device 100 for coating a substrate. The device 100 for coating a substrate is assembled to operate according to the method described herein.

The apparatus 100 for coating a substrate may include one or more transition modules, for example, the six transition modules shown by way of example in FIG. 1. Among them, the first transition module T1, the second transition module T2, the third transition module T3, the fourth transition module T4, the fifth transition module T5, and the sixth transition module T6 are shown. The device for coating the substrate may further include one or more rotating modules, for example, the six rotating modules shown in FIG. 1 as an example. The first rotation module R1, the second rotation module R2, the third rotation module R3, the fourth rotation module R4, the fifth rotation module R5, and the sixth rotation module R6 are shown.

The one or more transition modules and / or the one or more rotation modules may be arranged along the main transmission direction Z. Other transition modules and / or other rotation modules can be arranged along the main transmission path by alternate configurations. In particular, the one or more transition modules, the first rotation module R1, and other selected rotation modules can be arranged along a direction and be linearly arranged in quality. This direction can be used by the device 100 for coating a substrate Main transmission direction Z.

In some embodiments, three, four, five, six or more rotating modules are arranged along the main transmission direction Z. Two or more coating chambers may be arranged adjacent to each of the rotating modules, for example, on the first side and the second side of the conveying paths 51 and 52. The rotary module can be assembled for transferring the substrate and / or the mask from the transfer path to the two or more coating chambers. The two or more coating chambers can be arranged on the side of the rotary module. on.

The mask used in the coating process can be transferred along the transfer paths 51 and 52, for example, from the first transition module T1 in the direction of the second transition module T2, etc., via the first rotation module R1. In addition, the coated substrate can be transferred along the transfer paths 51 and 52.

The first loading chamber may be configured upstream of the first transition module T1, for example, on the first end of the main transfer path. The first loading chamber is used to load the coated substrate into a device for coating the substrate. Alternatively, the first loading chamber may be directly disposed upstream of the first rotation module. The first loading chamber can be used for loading a new substrate. The first loading chamber may alternatively or additionally be used to load a new mask into a device for coating a substrate. One or more cassettes may alternatively or additionally be provided with a loading chamber, allowing the masks to be loaded directly into and unloaded from the one or more cassettes.

A second loading chamber may be provided to unload the coated substrate from the equipment for coating the substrate. In an embodiment in which the substrate is transferred and processed in only one direction, the second loading chamber may be located downstream of the last rotation or transition module in the main transfer path, for example a sixth rotation module or a sixth Downstream of the transition module.

In some embodiments, a return track (for example, the second carrier track 32 in FIG. 2) may be provided to return the used mask, the coated substrate, and / or the direction opposite to the main conveying direction Z. Empty vector. Therefore, the first loading chamber can be assembled for both loading and unloading of substrates. For simplicity of the drawing, the loading chamber is not shown in the drawing.

The transition module can be understood as a vacuum module or vacuum chamber located between the at least two other vacuum modules or vacuum chambers, for example, a vacuum module or vacuum chamber located between two rotating modules . Examples of the carrier are a mask carrier and / or a substrate carrier, which can be transmitted through the transition module in the length direction of the transition module. The length direction of the transition module may correspond to the orientation of the conveying path of the vacuum processing system. As used herein, if the mask or substrate is described as being transported, this should generally be understood as the carrier carrying the mask or substrate moving separately.

In some embodiments, two or more tracks for guiding the carrier through the transition module may be provided in the transition module and / or the rotation module. For example, two substrate carrier tracks for transferring a substrate carrier and two mask carrier tracks for transferring a mask carrier may extend through the transition module. In some embodiments, one or more carriers may be temporarily stopped or “parked” in the transition module until the one or more carriers are transmitted along the main transport path through the adjacent rotation module and may continue . The stopping or parking of the mask in the transition module increases the desorption time of the mask, and the method of this disclosure is that when the mask is classified into individual cluster groups, the desorption time in the parking situation can be included consider.

Rotary module (also referred to herein as a `` routing module '' or `` routing chamber '' can be understood as a vacuum assembled to change the orientation of one or more carriers Chamber. In particular, the transport direction of the one or more carriers can be changed by rotating one or more carriers located on a track in the rotation module. For example, the rotation module may include a rotation device. A rotation device Is mounted for a rotating track. The track is mounted for supporting a carrier around a rotation axis. In some embodiments, the rotation module includes at least two tracks (transmission path 51 and transmission path 52 in FIG. 1), These at least two tracks can rotate around the rotation axis. The transfer path 51 can be arranged on the first side of the rotation axis, in particular the first mask carrier track can be arranged on the first side of the rotation axis, and the transfer path 52 can be arranged on the second side of the rotation axis, in particular the second mask carrier track can be arranged on the second side of the rotation axis. The number of two tracks in the transition module and / or the rotation module Favorably interacts with the coating chamber Function, the coating chamber usually also has two tracks according to the present disclosure.

According to several embodiments, the rotation module is assembled for mask processing and / or substrate processing. In some embodiments, the rotation module includes four tracks, in particular two mask carrier tracks and two substrate carrier tracks that can be rotated about a rotation axis. For the sake of simplicity, only the mask track is shown in the diagram.

When the rotation module rotates by an angle of x ° and the angle of x ° is 90 °, the conveyance direction of one or more carriers arranged on the track can change the angle of x °, and the angle of x ° is 90 ° . As shown in the figure, rotating the mask carrier 90 ° generally provides the supply of the mask to the corresponding coating chamber. For example, as shown in the exemplary design of FIG. 1, the rotating module is assembled to rotate the mask and / or the substrate, so that the mask and / or the substrate can be supplied to the coupled coating chamber.

The apparatus for coating a substrate according to the embodiments described herein may further include a carrier transfer system. The carrier transfer system is generally assembled for transferring the carrier along the main transfer direction Z, and selectively transferring the carrier in the opposite direction. The opposite direction may be referred to herein as the "loopback direction". The carrier transfer system may include a support system and a drive system. An example of a supporting system is a magnetic levitation system for lifting and supporting a carrier. The driving system is used to move the carrier along the track, and the track is along the carrier conveying path.

The term "carrier" as used herein may particularly mean a "mask carrier", assembled to support a mask during transfer, particularly during transfer between a cassette and a coating chamber, and vice versa. In particular, as described herein, the mask may be supported on the carrier in a non-horizontal orientation, and in particular in a substantially vertical orientation. The vertical orientation used in the several embodiments of the present disclosure is particularly advantageous, because the transfer activity of the mask can be greater than the transfer activity of the mask in the known method, which will be described in more detail below.

The carrier may include a carrier body having a support surface, assembled to support a substrate or mask, particularly in a non-horizontal orientation, and more particularly in a substantially vertical orientation. In some embodiments, the carrier body may include a guide portion that is assembled to guide along the carrier transfer path. For example, the carrier may be supported by a supporting device by a magnetic suspension system, and the carrier may be moved by a driving device along a shield carrier track or a substrate carrier track, for example, a series of linear motors .

As used herein, "transporting", "moving", "following a route" or "rotating" a substrate or mask can mean individual movements of a carrier that is a support substrate or masked on a support portion of a carrier, especially in In horizontal orientation, and more particularly in essentially vertical orientation.

As used herein, "substantially vertical orientation" can be understood as an orientation with a deviation of 10 ° or less, especially 5 ° or less, from the vertical orientation. Vertical orientation is also the gravity vector. For example, the angle between the main surface of the substrate (or the mask) and the gravity vector may be between + 10 ° and -10 °, especially between 0 ° and -5. In some embodiments, the orientation of the substrate (or mask) may not be exactly vertical during transfer and / or deposition, but may be slightly tilted relative to the vertical axis, for example tilts between 0 ° and -5 ° Angle, especially a tilt angle between -1 ° and -5 °. Negative angle means the orientation of one of the substrate or the mask, where the substrate or the mask is tilted downward. Deviations in the orientation of the substrate from the gravity vector during deposition can be advantageous and can result in a more stable deposition process, or orientation facing down during deposition can be used to reduce particles on the substrate. However, accurate vertical orientation (+/- 1 °) is also possible during transfer and / or during deposition.

In some embodiments, a larger angle between the gravity vector and the substrate (or mask) is possible during transfer and / or deposition. The angle between 0 ° and +/- 80 ° can be understood as the "non-horizontal orientation of the mask" as used herein. Transmitting the mask in a non-horizontal orientation saves space and allows smaller vacuum chambers. Moreover, during the transfer, horizontal orientation of the substrate or mask may be feasible.

As described herein, the apparatus for coating a substrate may include a mask transfer system for transferring a mask from a cassette to a coating chamber, and vice versa. A mask delivery system as described herein is generally assembled in which each coating chamber can supply a new mask from each cassette. The mask transfer system may include a magnetic levitation system, which advantageously avoids the generation of particles in a vacuum due to the rollers and friction effects of typical bearings. As used herein, the names "new mask" and "unused mask" mean masks that have not yet undergone a coating process in a coating chamber. In contrast, the names "coated mask" or "used mask" mean a mask that has undergone a coating process in a coating chamber.

In the box, the mask is generally stored in a mask slot. The name "storage" can also be understood as "buffer" as described herein. The cassette of this embodiment may have some mask slots to store new masks. Some mask slots are, for example, at least four mask slots, and in particular at least six mask slots. Cassettes can be additionally provided for storage of used masks. That is, when the mask has undergone the coating process and must be replaced with a new mask, the used mask can be transferred to the cassette first. Once the cassette is vented, the used mask can then be unloaded. However, as used herein, the name of the box "mask slot" generally means a slot for a new mask in the box. A cassette as used herein may include a loading chamber. The cassette may include one or more mask processing components, such as a robotic device, for attaching and / or detaching the mask from the mask carrier.

For the deposition process in the coating chamber and the coating chambers are, for example, the coating chambers D1 to D9 in FIG. 1, the mask 11 is generally located between the substrate 12 and the deposition source 35. The position of the mask in the coating chamber shall also mean the mask groove of the coating chamber here. For simplicity of the drawings, the reference numbers of the mask 11 and the substrate 12 in the coating chambers D1 to D9 in FIG. 1 are not repeated.

In several embodiments, the number of the mask grooves of the cassette assembled for supplying the mask to the individual coating chamber is smaller than the number of the mask grooves in the individual coating chamber. That is, the present embodiment is to provide a masking tissue, allowing a masking slot in a cassette to be smaller than a masking required in the supplied coating chamber.

As exemplarily shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus 100 for coating a substrate includes a coating chamber D1 for depositing a first material. The coating chamber D1 is an exemplary configuration adjacent to the first rotary module R1 and is located on the first side of the main conveying direction Z. The apparatus further includes a coating chamber D2 for depositing a second material. The coating chamber D2 is adjacent to the first rotary module R1 in the exemplary configuration, and is located on the second side of the main conveying direction Z, and the second side is opposite to the first side. Furthermore, the apparatus 100 for coating a substrate further includes a coating chamber D3 for depositing a third material. The coating chamber D3 is an exemplary configuration of the second rotation module R2 adjacent to the main transfer path.

As shown in the first figure, the cassette M1 is shown in a position opposite to the coating chamber D3. As used herein, a "box" means a chamber used to store a mask. In particular, the cassettes can be used to support new masks that can be used, where the cassettes are generally additionally fitted to allow desorption of the masks for storage. The cassette as understood herein can be provided with a connection to a vacuum system which provides the vacuum in the cassette.

As shown in Figure 1, several cassettes and several deposition chambers can be provided. According to one aspect of this embodiment, compared with the number of coating chambers in the art, the ratio of the number of cassettes to the number of coating chambers can be reduced and will be described in more detail below.

Returning to the specific and example settings shown in Figure 1, other transition modules Tn and rotation modules Rn with n = 2, ..., 6 and other coating chambers with i = 4, ..., 9 are shown. Room Di. The embodiment of FIG. 1 includes three mask boxes, that is, boxes M1, M2, and M3.

It will be understood that FIG. 1 can only depict a portion of an apparatus for coating a substrate according to several embodiments described herein. Other rotating modules, other coating chambers, other transition modules, and / or other cassettes can be provided. In some embodiments, the apparatus 100 for coating a substrate may be assembled for depositing a layer stack on the substrate. The layer stack may include, for example, five, six, or more successively deposited layers, for example, 10 or more layers. Layers or 15 or more layers. In other embodiments, the device for coating the substrate may have fewer coating chambers, transition modules, rotating modules, and / or cassettes than those shown in FIG. 1.

As used herein, a "coating chamber" can be understood as a section or chamber of a device used to coat substrates, where materials can be deposited on one or more substrates by evaporation, for example. The coating chamber applied according to the embodiments described herein is generally assembled for shielding material deposited on a substrate. The names "deposition" and "coating" are used herein interchangeably.

In the application of the embodiments described herein, different materials can be deposited. The first material may be a first color material of the pixel array, such as a blue material, and / or the second material may be a second color material of the pixel array, such as a red material. A third color material, such as a pixel array of green material, may have been previously deposited or will be deposited successively. In particular, other materials may be deposited on the substrate before or after the first and second materials in the same vacuum processing chamber. At least some materials may be organic materials, for example, the first material and the second material may be organic materials. At least one material may be a metal. For example, one or more of the following metals may be deposited in some coating chambers: aluminum (Al), gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu). At least one material may be a transparent conductive oxide material, such as indium tin oxide (ITO). At least one material may be a transparent material.

One or more deposition sources 35 ("evaporators") may be disposed in each coating chamber. The one or more deposition sources 35 are exemplified by one or more steam sources, which are assembled for guiding the evaporated material toward one or more substrates. The deposition source may be movable along the source transfer track, and the source transfer track may be disposed in the coating chamber. The one or more deposition sources 35 may move linearly along the source transfer track as the evaporated material is directed toward the one or more substrates. During the deposition period, the mask is generally arranged at a fixed position in front of the substrate.

In some embodiments, the coating chamber may include two deposition regions, that is, a first deposition region 36 and a second deposition region 37. The first deposition region 36 is used to configure the first substrate and the first mask, and the second deposition region 37 is used to configure the second substrate and the second mask. The first deposition region 36 may be disposed in the coating chamber instead of the second deposition region 37. The deposition source 35 can be assembled to successively guide the evaporated material toward the first substrate disposed in the first deposition region 36 and toward the second substrate disposed in the second deposition region 37. For example, the evaporation direction of the deposition source may be reversible by rotating at least a part of the deposition source 35, for example, by an angle of 180 °.

During the deposition on the first substrate in the first deposition region 36 of the coating chamber, the second deposition region 37 may be used for at least one or more of the following: moving the second substrate to be coated to the first In the second deposition area; moving the coated second substrate away from the second deposition area; in the second deposition area, for example, aligning the second substrate with respect to a mask provided in the second deposition area; and replacing with a new mask Mask used. Therefore, by providing two deposition regions (for example, a first deposition region 36 and a second deposition region 37) in the coating chamber, the number of substrates 12 coated in a given period of time can be increased. Furthermore, the idle time of the deposition source can be reduced, for example, because the deposition source can not be in an idle position during the alignment of the coated substrate 12 relative to the mask 11, but can be used to deposit another Substrate 12.

After depositing each material, the substrate 12 can be moved back into the main conveying path to be guided into the successive coating chambers via one or more transition modules and rotary modules, respectively. This is exemplified by the substrate 12 in the transition module T1. The expected layer thickness on the substrate may be substantially different depending on the predetermined processing. For example, layer thicknesses of 1 nm and 100 nm may be required. The required thickness of the deposited layer essentially affects the deposition time in each coating chamber. For example, a deposition time of less than five seconds can be used to deposit thin layers of some nanometers, and a deposition time of at least one minute can be used to deposit thicker layers.

Similarly, FIG. 1 exemplarily illustrates the transmission of the mask 11 as shown by the mask 11 in the second transition module T2, the fourth transition module T4, and the sixth transition module T6. The other masks 11 are exemplarily shown as being transmitted in the second rotation module R2 and the third rotation module R3. The mask 11 and the substrate 12 can be moved on the same track or on different tracks.

The mask may include a plurality of openings forming a pattern, and is assembled to form a corresponding material pattern on the substrate by a mask deposition process. During the deposition, the mask can be placed at a short distance in front of the substrate or directly contact the front surface of the substrate. As a guideline, where thicker layers are needed on the substrate, the mask used during the deposition process is also coated more than during the deposition of the thinner layer. As the openings of the mask become smaller and eventually blocked, the material deposition on the mask obviously causes the quality of the mask to deteriorate. Masks whose openings have been reduced in size too much may no longer be used in the deposition process and need to be replaced with new masks. The name of the mask "coating application time" can be understood as the time that the mask is assembled for the individual coating process until the mask needs to be replaced, because otherwise the coating quality will become unacceptable. The name "coating application time" sometimes also means the life of the mask relative to a particular coating process. The application time of the mask can be determined by the structure of the mask (for example, it is a fine line metal mask, etc.). The application time of the coating may further depend on the specific process in which the mask is intended to be used.

For example, the mask may be a fine metal mask (FMM) with several openings, for example, 100,000 openings or more. For example, patterns of organic pixels can be deposited on a substrate using such a mask. This form of mask can only be used for some deposits until the mask needs to be replaced with a new mask. In general, the coating application time of FMM may be less than 10 deposits. In view of time, the coating application time of FMM may be less than 120 minutes, or even less than 100 minutes or less.

Other types of masks according to the embodiments described herein can be used in the deposition process. Examples of other types of masks are edge exclusion masks (EEM). The EEM may not be provided with a grid having several openings. Instead, EEM can be understood as a mask assembled to cover only the edges of the substrate. That is, the EEM may have only one opening, and this opening corresponds to a coating area on the substrate. Although the openings of the EEM are not blocked by the size of the openings, the edge area of the EEM becomes inaccurate after a high number of coatings. However, EEM may experience substantially more deposition than FMM until the mask needs to be replaced by a new mask. For example, EEMs can generally have a coating application time of at least 500 minutes or even at least 800 minutes. In several embodiments, one cassette may be filled with only a few EEMs, and the other cassette may be filled with only a few FMMs. Even more particularly, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, no cassette is filled with both FMMs and EEMs, and no cassette is scheduled with both FMMs and EEMs. Instead, in these embodiments, all the boxes are filled with FMMs or EEMs.

According to several embodiments, the time during which the mask is actually used in the coating process is less than the coating application time of the mask. That is, the coating application time represents the time that the mask can be used in the coating process while still producing the required coating quality. However, if the mask is applied for a shorter time than the coating application time for overall process efficiency, the application time of the mask will not be changed due to the proposal of several embodiments of the disclosure.

The mask may include a mask and a mask frame. The mask frame can be fitted to stabilize the mask. For example, the mask frame may surround the mask in the form of a frame. The mask may be, for example, permanently fixed to the mask frame by welding, or the mask may be releasably fixed to the mask frame. The peripheral edge of the mask can be fixed to the mask frame. The mask can be made at least partially of metal, for example a metal with a small coefficient of thermal expansion, such as invar. The mask may include a magnetic material so that the mask may be magnetically attracted toward the substrate during deposition. The mask frame may alternatively or additionally include a magnetic material so that the mask can be attracted to the mask carrier via magnetic force.

The mask may have an area of 0.5 m ² or more, especially an area of 1 m ² or more. For example, the height of the mask may be 0.5 m or more, especially 1 m or more, and / or the width of the mask may be 0.5 m or more, especially 1 m or more. The thickness of the mask can be 1 cm or less. The mask frame can be thicker than the mask.

The mask may be supported by a mask carrier during transfer in the apparatus 100 for coating a substrate. For example, a mask carrier supporting a mask may be transferred in the main transfer direction Z in the apparatus 100 for coating a substrate. In some embodiments, the mask carrier may be guided along the mask carrier track through a device for coating a substrate. For example, the mask carrier may include a guide portion that is assembled to guide along the mask carrier track. In the drawings, for simplicity, the carrier system is not shown separately.

In some embodiments, the mask carrier is transported by a transport system, which may include a magnetic levitation system. For example, a magnetic levitation system can be provided such that at least a portion of the weight of the mask carrier can be carried by the magnetic levitation system. The mask carrier can then be guided essentially non-contact along the mask carrier track through the vacuum processing system. The driver may be provided to move the carrier along the mask carrier track.

In exchange for used masks, used masks can be transferred from the coating chamber back to the cassette following a path, and new masks can be transferred from the cassette to the coating chamber via a path. Following the path may include, in particular, at least one of rotating in a rotating module and transmitting in a transition module.

For example, a new mask may be transferred along one of the mask carrier tracks along the main transfer direction Z. The mask may be transferred from time to time adjacent to the substrate and / or synchronized with the substrate, and the substrate may be transferred in parallel on one of the substrate carrier tracks. The new mask and substrate can be rotated together and / or moved into separate rotation modules.

Usually during a degassing period under the box, the used mask is generally transferred from the box that is subsequently loaded with the mask to a box. In several embodiments of the present disclosure, a cassette may have two compartments, one compartment for the used mask, and one compartment for the new mask. In several embodiments, the new mask is stored in the second compartment, and the used mask is stored in the first compartment.

According to the embodiment described herein, the masks are classified into different cassettes according to the application time of the masks. This is advantageous and will be outlined below.

Storing the masks in the box is not only helpful in maintaining the individual masks for the purpose of requiring new masks in the next coating chamber. As described herein, the temporary storage time in the box is used for the desorption mask. That is, the temporary storage time of the masks in the box essentially helps to prepare high-quality deposited masks for the following reasons.

Under ambient pressure, a higher number of water molecules are attached to the surface of the mask. According to several embodiments, the mask is generally loaded into the cassette directly from the ambient pressure, for example, via a loading chamber. Once the vacuum is generated in the box, the remaining water on the mask begins to desorb. However, as it turns out that desorption is basically only a function of time and temperature, increasing the vacuum in the cassette is not necessary to provide more effective desorption.

If once in the highly desorbed environment of the coating chamber, too many water molecules are still on the mask, the mask will generate a moisture cloud in the coating chamber, and the pressure will be dramatic Rising and harmful effects, or at least deteriorate the quality of the deposit. For high-quality coating processes, it is advantageous that each mask is sufficiently desorbed from water before the coating process is performed.

Increasing the holding time in the vacuum essentially contributes to improving desorption. However, in the case of devices for coating substrates known so far, increasing the storage time also slows down the coating process, which is unacceptable for economic processes.

In addition, the supply of one or more new masks into the box by the exhaust box destroys the desorption process that has been started before the exhaust. For example, if the cassette system contains many masks that have been stored in a high vacuum for some time, and if the cassette system is briefly vented to load another mask into the cassette, all masks in the cassette must begin to detach again. . Therefore, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, individual loading of the mask into the box is avoided.

According to several embodiments described herein, after the mask is loaded into the cassette (and the used mask may be unloaded), the desorption process is performed in these cassettes of this embodiment. In general, loading a new mask into a cassette as understood herein includes venting the cassette usually when the mask is supplied from a non-vacuum environment. After loading the cassette, the cassette is closed and the vacuum in the cassette is created to allow the mask to be detached. It is worth noting that, according to the subsequent coating process, each or part of these boxes can be loaded with masks and / or unloaded used masks at different points in time.

According to several embodiments, when the cassette is loaded with a new mask, all the mask slots of the cassette are provided with the new mask. That is, if the cassette needs to be vented to load a new mask, the processes of these embodiments expect that all mask slots of the cassette are filled with the new mask at this time. Therefore, the process according to the several embodiments described herein avoids exhausting the cassette (usually with loading) because only m masks must be loaded, where m is less than the number of mask slots in the cassette. Instead, in each loading cycle, all the mask slots of the cassette are generally filled with new masks.

In several embodiments, each cassette includes a first compartment and a second compartment. Generally, new masks are stored in the first compartment and used masks are stored in the second compartment.

According to the embodiments described herein, the masks required for the deposition process are classified into at least two cluster groups, and particularly into three or more cluster groups. The assignment of a mask to a cluster group is driven by the application time of the mask. Cluster groups are generally disjunctive, that is, the application time of the mask clearly indicates which cluster group the mask belongs to.

In several embodiments, each cluster group is assigned to a cassette. In this case, the number of cluster groups corresponds to the number of cassettes.

For example, the number of cluster groups may be three. Therefore, the number of cassettes can be three. The first cluster group may be composed of a mask having a coating application time during the first coating application period. The second cluster group may be composed of a mask having a coating application time in the second coating application period. The third cluster group may be composed of a mask having a coating application time in the third coating application period. In the embodiment, the assignment to the cluster group is explicit. That is, the first coating application period, the second coating application period, and the third coating application period do not overlap.

To better understand the simplified example of the two cluster groups disclosed in this disclosure, the first cluster group may consist of a mask with a coating application time between 90 min and 110 min, and the second cluster group may consist of multiple A mask consisting of a coating application time of 500 min. Obviously, in this process, a mask having a coating application time between 110 min and 500 min is not used. Masks belonging to the first cluster group are stored in the first box, and masks belonging to the second cluster group are stored in the second box.

In other embodiments, each cluster group may be assigned to more than one bin. For example, the first cluster group may be assigned to the first and second boxes, and the second cluster group may be assigned to the third box.

For example, referring to Figure 1, the first cluster group may be a mask with a coating application time of 90 min (expected to be used in the coating chamber D2), a mask with a coating application time of 100 min ( Expected to be used in the coating chamber D4), and a mask (expected to be used in the coating chamber D6) with a coating application time of 110 min. The second cluster group can be a mask with a coating application time of 600 min (expected to be used in the coating chambers D1 and D9), a mask with a coating application time of 650 min (expected to be in the coating chamber D3) Use), a mask with a coating application time of 700 min (expected to be used in the coating chamber D5), and a mask with a coating application time of 800 min (expected in the coating chambers D7 and D8) Use).

In order to optimize the efficiency of the overall deposition process, the masks from the first cluster group may be allocated to the boxes M1 and M2, and the masks from the second cluster group may be allocated to the box M3. Therefore, the cassettes M1 and M2 are assembled to supply new masks to the coating chambers D2, D4, and D6, and the cassette M3 is assembled to supply new masks to the coating chambers D1, D3, D5, D7, D8, and D9.

In this example, each of the cassettes M1 to M3 may have six mask slots. Each of the coating chambers D1 to D9 may have two masking grooves. In this example, the cassette M3 supplies a new mask to the coating chambers D1, D3, D5, D7, D8, and D9. However, when the number of such masks used for deposition is thus 12 and the cassette M3 can store only six masks, the cassette M3 is operated so that only the coating chamber D1 is used in each replacement cycle. One half of the masks D3, D5, D7, D8 and D9 are replaced. In other words, and not limited to this embodiment but generally applicable, the replacement cycle time of the cartridge may be one half of the shortest application time of all the masks in the cartridge. That is, in the specific example provided, the mask in the cassette M3 has a coating application time of 600 min, 650 min, 700 min, and 800 min. Therefore, the minimum coating application time is obviously 600 minutes, and one half of it is 300 minutes. Therefore, in this specific example, the cassette M3 is used every 300 minutes to replace the half of the mask of the coating chambers D1, D3, D5, D7, D8, and D9. The new mask is then loaded into the cassette M3 for storage there, and at the same time for the deposition process. After the next 300 minutes, the other half of the coating chambers D1, D3, D5, D7, D8, and D9 were replaced with masks.

It is clear from this example that the production schedule provides a longer desorption time of 300 min, resulting in high processing quality. Furthermore, this production schedule is provided and only one box with 6 mask slots is used for a coating chamber requiring 12 masks. Instead, this essentially reduces the footprint of the vacuum processing system.

Therefore, the present embodiment provides a device in which the number of the mask grooves in the cassette is less than the mask required for the cassette to be supplied into the coating chamber. The coating chamber supplied by a particular cassette is also referred to herein as "a predetermined combination of such coating chambers". The number of mask slots in a cassette may be only half or less than the masks required in the coating chamber supplied by this cassette. The number of coating chambers related to the number of cassettes supplied to such coating chambers described herein may thus be greater than three, and even greater than four in several embodiments. For example, the number of cassettes is three, and / or the number of coating chambers is ten or more.

Returning to the specific example outlined with reference to FIG. 1, the cassettes M1 and M2 store masks 11 having shorter coating application times, that is, masks having coating application times of 90 minutes, 100 minutes, and 110 minutes. Each of the cassettes M1 and M2 may have six mask slots. The coating chambers D2, D4, and D6 may each have two masking grooves. That is, in the case where the coating chambers D2, D4, and D6 require a total of six masks, each of the two cassettes has six mask systems to supply the coating chambers D2, D4, and D6. The two boxes each have six masks, that is, a total of 12 masks.

In the method of this embodiment, all the masks of the cassette M1 can be used at the same time point to replace the used masks in the coating chambers D2, D4, and D6. Therefore, the entire cassette M1 becomes no new mask, and all the masks in the three coating chambers D2, D4, and D6 are replaced at the same time point. Replacement begins with the shortest application time for all masks in the cassettes M1 and M2. Since the masks in the boxes M1 and M2 have coating application times of 90 min, 100 min, and 110 min, the minimum coating application time is therefore 90 min. Therefore, the replacement system started after 90 min. Next, the cartridge M1 is vented and refilled with a new mask to perform the desorption process.

Therefore, after the next 90 minutes, which is the shortest coating application time corresponding to all the masks in the cassettes M1 and M2 again, the masks in the coating chamber D2 need to be replaced. The replacement of the masks in the coating chamber D2 is to start the replacement of all the masks in the coating chambers D2, D4, and D6. However, all the masks in the coating chambers D2, D4, and D6 were replaced with new masks from the cassette M2 this time. After that, the box M2 was vented and refilled with a new mask.

After the next 90 minutes, which is the shortest coating application time corresponding to all the masks in the cassettes M1 and M2 again, the masks in the coating chamber D2 need to be replaced. This is to start the replacement of all the masks in the coating chambers D2, D4, and D6 again, and all the masks in the coating chambers D2, D4, and D6 are replaced again with a new mask from the cassette M1. After that, the box M1 was vented and refilled with a new mask. This process can be continued in a manner similar to this when needed.

When this process is performed, and although the application time of the coating is 90 minutes, it is obvious that the desorption time of the mask can be maintained at 180 minutes, because the cassettes M1 and M2 are only used to replace the Use a mask. The concept exemplified in such an example is advantageous because it provides a sufficiently long desorption time even in the case of short application times of the mask.

More specifically, according to several embodiments that can be combined with all the other embodiments described herein, this method may include filling a new mask to the box in a number of periods, these periods being greater than the new mask used to fill the box Minimum coating application time for the hood. Even more particularly, this method may include filling the new mask to the cassette in several periods, these periods being greater than the application time of the coating of all the new masks used to fill the cassette.

According to several embodiments of the present disclosure and not limited to the example of FIG. 1, the masks in all the boxes are subjected to a desorption process of more than 90 minutes, or even more particularly more than 120 minutes. As used herein, the term "mask desorption process x min" or "mask desorption x min" means that the mask is stored in an environment that does not interrupt the vacuum x min. In particular, the terms "mask desorption process x min" or "mask desorption x min" as understood herein may mean that the mask is stored in a cassette.

According to several aspects of this embodiment, the masks are classified such that masks with only the same or similar coating application time are stored in each box. "Similar" in this context is understood to mean a deviation of +/- 20%. In particular, in typical embodiments, masks with individual coating application times having a time difference of more than 50% are not intended to be stored in the same cassette.

As described herein, the masks can be replaced at a point in time before the end of the coating application time of the individual masks (that is, the coating chambers are taken out) because they are classified into cluster groups. In particular, the entire mask of the cassette can be transferred to individual coating chambers at the same time. In view of the advantages of this embodiment that allow a longer desorption time and may require less than the disadvantages of the cassette, the disadvantage of reducing the use time of the mask is accepted.

The distribution sub-combination from the cassette transfer mask to all coating chambers is generally initiated at a point in time corresponding to the shortest coating application time for all masks in this cassette. That is, a mask with a shorter coating application time in the cassette defines a replacement cycle for the entire mask of the cassette. That is, the replacement cycle time may correspond to the shortest coating application time of all the masks in the cassette. The alternative cycle time here shall be referred to as the "complete coating application time cycle". Therefore, after each replacement cycle, the full mask of the cassette is assumed to have been sufficiently desorbed and transferred to the individual coating chamber. The used mask from the coating chamber can be transferred back to the cassette to successively unload the used mask from the cassette. After that, a new mask is loaded into the box to perform the desorption process.

In other embodiments that can explicitly incorporate several additional embodiments having a complete coating application time period for at least one box, the coating application time period of at least one box is the shortest coating by all masks in the box The cloth application time is decided by half. This should be referred to herein as "half the coating application time period". That is, the transfer of the mask to the individual coating chamber is started at a time point corresponding to half of the shortest coating time of all the masks in the cassette. Therefore, the mask with the shortest coating application time in the box defines a replacement cycle for all the masks in the box, and the replacement cycle time corresponds to one half of the shortest coating application time for all the masks in the box. Therefore, after each replacement cycle, the full mask of the cassette is assumed to have undergone sufficient desorption and a sub-combination transferred to the coating chamber supplied by this cassette.

If the embodiment of FIG. 1 has already been explained, several embodiments of the complete coating application time period may be combined with the embodiment having half of the coating application time period. More specifically, according to several exemplary embodiments of the method disclosed herein, one or more cassettes are operated based on a complete coating application time period, and one, two or more cassettes are operated based on half of a coating application time Cycle operation. In the example provided in detail in conjunction with FIG. 1 above, the two cartridges M1 and M2 are operated according to a complete coating application time period, and the cartridge M3 is operated according to half of the coating application time period. It will be apparent from this that half of the coating application time period is advantageous, and that more coating chambers can be supplied by the responsible magazine than by the mask slot in the responsible magazine. A complete coating application time period may allow the same set of coating chambers to be supplied by two or more cassettes. That is, according to these embodiments, two or more cassettes are used, supplying the masks to the same coating chamber, usually in an alternating manner. Despite the low coating application time of the mask, this series provides high desorption time.

In general, in the case of a mask having a long application time (for example, more than 600 min), not only one-half of the application time period can be used, but one-third of the application can be used. A cloth application time period and / or a quarter of a coating application time period can also be used. In one third of the coating application time period, the mask is replaced at a time point corresponding to one third of the shortest coating application time of all masks in the cassette. In a quarter of the coating application time period, the mask is replaced at a point in time corresponding to a quarter of the shortest coating application time of all masks in the box. In the event that one-third or one-fourth of the replacement cycle still provides sufficient desorption time, these replacement cycles are even more advantageous as these replacement cycles allow for a reduction in the number of cassettes required to supply different coating chambers The quantity, while the deposition quality can be maintained at the same time.

The term "box is filled with a new mask" is generally understood here as all mask slots for this box are filled at the same time. More specifically, each cassette can be completely filled at the same point in time. However, the time points used to fill different cassettes can be different. Each cassette or at least each combination of cassettes may have different replacement cycles, and the different replacement cycles are completely independent of the replacement cycles of other cassettes.

As used herein, "same point in time" is understood as "in the same course of action" and should specifically include successive mask processing, that is, processing one mask after another. In the case that the box is filled with a new mask at the same time, the term "same time" can be understood to mean a consistent exhaust process. At the same time point, when the mask is transmitted from the box to the individual coating chamber, the term "same time point" can be understood as the successive transmission from the box. room.

In several embodiments, one or more of the cassettes include a plurality of masking slots, the masking slots being more than the masks in the sub-combination of the coating chambers supplied by the one or more cassettes. Number of slots. In additional or alternative embodiments, the one or more cassettes include a plurality of masking grooves, which are less than the masking grooves in the sub-assembly of the coating chamber supplied by the one or more cassettes Quantity (the sub-combination of coating chambers supplied by the cassette also means "dispensing coating chambers").

Generally, in the case where the cassette has several mask grooves, and these mask grooves are more than the number of mask grooves in the allocated coating chamber, the cassette operates according to the entire coating application time period. Moreover, in this case, at least two cassettes generally supply the same combination of coating chambers. For example, two cassettes each having six mask slots can be used to provide a mask to a set of three coating chambers each having two mask slots. The two cassettes are operated under the time principle of full coating application, and each of the two cassettes is used at intervals to replace the mask, and the masks in the coating chamber are all replaced. That is, the cassettes are emptied (and loaded with new masks) in an alternating manner.

In embodiments where the one or more cassettes include several masking grooves and the number of such masking grooves is less than the number of masking grooves in the dispensing coating chamber, the cassettes may be Cloth application time period, one-third application time period, or even one quarter application time period operation.

In contrast to the processing methods currently known in this technical field, several embodiments of the present disclosure increase the desorption time of the mask, reduce the need for cassettes, and / or increase due to better (that is, longer) desorption. Processing quality. In the currently known processing methods, for example, some of the three coating chambers are provided with a mask from one cassette. This one box contains all the masks for processing in the three coating chambers. For example, if a processing system in one coating chamber produces a coating application time of 90 minutes, and a processing system in another coating chamber produces a coating application time of 600 minutes, although it has 600 minutes The coating application time will have more time for desorption. When the mask system with a coating application time of 90 minutes is replaced, all the masks in the box are vented every 90 minutes. Such a bad situation can be avoided by the embodiments of the present disclosure.

In particular, according to several embodiments described herein, the mask is assigned to the cassette not only because the coating chamber that needs to be masked is located in a specific position relative to the cassette, such as a position close to the cassette. In view of the application time of the mask, the mask is allocated to a specific box separately. The equipment for coating substrates generally includes a transfer system, where the masks from all the cassettes are mainly transferred to all the coating chambers.

The apparatus for coating a substrate according to some embodiments described herein may be a single wire system. For example, the apparatus 100 for coating a substrate in FIG. 1 is such a single-line system. Among them, the substrate and each successively moved coated substrate are moved to the same coating chamber in the same order. The sorting can be started after a predetermined period for subsequent substrates, especially after an essentially fixed period corresponding to the tact interval of the system. For example, the substrate and each subsequent substrate to be coated can be moved to each coating chamber in a predetermined sequence, and the coating chamber is disposed on the side of the main conveying path. Each subsequent substrate to be coated can be moved through the coating chamber in the same predetermined sequence. Simple equipment for coating substrates is available.

In other embodiments, the multi-line system is provided, such as the two-line system exemplarily shown in FIG. 2. Wherein, the first substrate is moved into the coating chamber of the first combination in a first sequence, and the coated substrate is moved into the coating chamber of the second combination in a second sequence in succession. In the two-line system, the second one moves the coated substrate system again into the coating chamber of the first combination in the first sequence, and the third one moves the coated substrate system again in the first sequence. The two sequences are moved into the coating chamber of the second combination. That is, two coating lines (a first coating line and a second coating line) are provided in the same equipment for coating substrates, and are used to alternately coat successive substrates.

In the multi-line system, the substrate 12 is moved to only a part of the coating chamber for coating, especially to enter only half of the coating chamber, and the continuous substrate system is only moved to the coating chamber. Coating in the other part, especially in the coating chamber of the other half. Replacing a mask with a new mask is organized as described herein based on the application time of the mask.

As shown by the individual arrows in FIG. 2, the plurality of substrates 12 and / or the masks 11 can move along the main transfer direction Z. As shown in Figure 1, T1 means the first transition module, and T2 means the second transition module. For example, the substrate carrier and / or the mask carrier arranged on the first carrier track 31 can be moved synchronously to individual adjacent modules in the main transfer direction Z, and / or arranged on the second carrier track 32 ( The mask carrier and / or substrate carrier on the "back loop" also can be moved in the opposite direction (also referred to herein as the "back loop direction") to individual adjacent modules. The apparatus 200 for coating a substrate may further include a coating chamber D1 and a coating chamber D2. The coating chamber D1 is used to deposit the first material. The coating chamber D1 is disposed adjacent to the first rotary module R1 and is located on the first side S1 of the main conveying direction Z. The coating chamber D2 is used to deposit a second material. The coating chamber D2 is disposed adjacent to the first rotary module R1 and is located on the second side S2 of the main conveying direction Z. The second side S2 is opposite to the first side S1.

The coating chamber D1 and the coating chamber D2 may be arranged on different sides of the first rotation module R1 opposite to each other, that is, at an angle of 180 ° with respect to the rotation axis of the first rotation module R1 . Therefore, the first orbit X1 and the second orbit X2 of the first rotary module R1 can connect the deposition areas of the coating chamber D1 and the coating chamber D2 in at least one rotation position of the first rotary module.

As shown in FIG. 2, the coating chamber D1 ′ for depositing the second line of the first material may be disposed adjacent to the first rotary module R1 and located on the second side S2 of the main conveying direction Z. (Alternatively, the replacement position is on the first side S1). Furthermore, the coating chamber D2 'for depositing the second line of the second material may be disposed adjacent to the first rotary module R1 and located on the first side S1 of the main conveying direction Z (or, instead of Status on the second side S2).

The coating chamber D1 'of the second line and the coating chamber D2' of the second line may be arranged on different sides of the first rotation module R1 opposite to each other, that is, opposite to the first rotation module 180 ° of the rotation axis of R1. Therefore, the first track X1 and the second track X2 of the first rotary module R1 can be connected to the coating chamber D1 ′ of the second line and the coating chamber of the second line in at least one rotation position of the first rotary module. The deposition area of the chamber D2 '.

The apparatus 200 for coating a substrate shown in FIG. 2 includes cassettes M1 and M2. The mask 11 used in the coating chambers D1, D1 ', D2, D2', D3, D3 ', and possibly other coating chambers (not shown in Figure 2) can be used for coating The environment of the substrate's equipment is loaded into a cassette for transfer to the coating chamber. The used mask can be transferred from the coating chamber to the cassette, for example, unloading from a device for coating a substrate via a loading chamber.

For simplicity, other coating chambers, transition modules, rotary modules, and boxes are not explicitly shown in Figure 2, but can be set according to the required coating process. Moreover, the masks with adjacent substrates are shown as a square in FIG. 2 only.

The apparatus 200 for coating a substrate can be operated according to the aforementioned method, so that the reference can be achieved in the above embodiment without repeating it.

Referring to FIG. 3, the method of this embodiment is illustrated. In more detail, the method includes providing a plurality of cassettes in block 301, each of which has a plurality of mask slots. The method further includes, in block 302, classifying the masks into at least two cluster groups according to the application time of the masks. The method further includes allocating each of the at least two cluster groups to one or more of the bins in block 303. Furthermore, the method further includes storing the masks in the boxes according to the allocation in block 304.

In summary, although the present invention has been disclosed as above with the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be determined by the scope of the attached patent application.

11‧‧‧Mask

12‧‧‧ substrate

31‧‧‧ First carrier track

32‧‧‧ second carrier track

35‧‧‧ sedimentary source

36‧‧‧ first sedimentary area

37‧‧‧Second deposition area

51, 52‧‧‧ Transmission path

100, 200‧‧‧ equipment

301, 302, 303, 304‧‧‧ blocks

D1-D9, D1 ’, D2’, D3’‧‧‧ Coating chamber

M1-M3‧‧‧Box

R1‧‧‧First Rotary Module

R2‧‧‧Second Rotary Module

R3‧‧‧Third Rotation Module

R4‧‧‧Fourth rotation module

R5‧‧‧ fifth rotation module

R6‧‧‧Sixth rotation module

S1‧‧‧First side

S2‧‧‧Second side

T1‧‧‧First Transition Module

T2‧‧‧Second Transition Module

T3‧‧‧The third transition module

T4‧‧‧ Fourth Transition Module

T5‧‧‧ fifth transition module

T6‧‧‧ Sixth Transition Module

X1‧‧‧First track

X2‧‧‧Second Track

Z‧‧‧ Main Teleportation

In order to make the above features of the present disclosure understandable in detail, a more specific description, which is briefly extracted from the above disclosure, may refer to several embodiments. The attached drawings relate to several embodiments of the present disclosure and are described below. Exemplary embodiments are shown in the drawings and explained in detail in the following description. FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic layout of a device for coating a substrate according to an embodiment described herein; FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic layout of a device for coating a substrate according to an embodiment described herein; and FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a method for processing a mask in a vacuum coating process according to an embodiment described herein.

Claims (20)

A method for processing a plurality of masks in a vacuum coating process, each mask being assembled to use a coating application time in a coating process, the method includes: a. Providing a plurality of cassettes (M1 , M2, M3), each having a plurality of mask slots; b. Classifying the masks into at least two cluster groups according to the coating application time of each of the masks; c. Assigning the at least two cluster clusters Group to one or more of the boxes; and d. Store the masks in the boxes assigned individually. The method of claim 1, wherein the masks undergo a desorption process of more than 1.5 hours during storage of the masks in the cassettes. The method according to item 1 or 2 of the scope of patent application, further comprising exhausting at least one of the cassettes and loading a plurality of new masks to at least one of the cassettes, wherein the new masks are in All masking slots provided to the at least one of the cassettes during venting. The method as described in claims 1 to 2, wherein the at least two cluster groups are disjunctive. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the at least two cluster groups include a first cluster group and a second cluster group, wherein the first cluster group is composed of A plurality of masks having a coating application time in one of the first coating application periods, and the second cluster group is composed of a plurality of masks having one coating application time in a second coating application period. It is composed of a cover, wherein the first coating application period and the second coating application period do not overlap. A method for processing a plurality of substrates by depositing a plurality of layers of different materials, the method comprising: a. The method for processing a plurality of masks as described in any one of claims 1 to 2 Method; b. Transmitting one of the masks in a first box to a first coating chamber, and transmitting one of the masks in the first box at a same time second Masking to a second coating chamber; and c. Depositing a first material in the first coating chamber by using the first mask, and using the second mask in the first coating chamber A second material is deposited in the second coating chamber. The method according to item 6 of the scope of patent application, further comprising replacing a first mask in the first coating chamber with a third mask at a point in time before the coating application time of the first mask ends. A mask. The method described in item 7 of the scope of patent application, further comprising at least one of the following: completely emptying at least one of the boxes, wherein all the masks of the at least one of the boxes are at the same time point Transfer to the first coating chamber, the second coating chamber, and a plurality of other coating chambers; and completely fill a plurality of new masks to the at least one of the cassettes at the same time point. The method according to item 8 of the scope of patent application, wherein transmitting the first mask to the first coating chamber and transmitting the second mask to the second coating chamber correspond to the first cassette The shortest application time of all the masks starts at a point in time. The method according to item 9 of the scope of patent application, wherein transmitting the first mask to the first coating chamber and transmitting the second mask to the second coating chamber correspond to the first cassette One of the shortest application time of the full mask, one half, one third, or one quarter. The method according to item 10 of the scope of patent application, wherein at least one of the at least one of the cassettes includes a plurality of masking grooves more than the number of the masking grooves in the coating chambers allocated. And at least one of the cassettes includes a plurality of masking grooves less than the number of masking grooves in the coating chambers allocated. A device (100, 200) for coating a plurality of substrates, the device comprising: a. A plurality of coating chambers each including a plurality of mask slots; and b. A first box including a plurality of masks The first box is assembled to supply a predetermined combination of a plurality of masks to the coating chambers; wherein the number of the plurality of mask tanks of the first box is greater than or less than that of the coating chambers. The number of the plurality of mask slots of the predetermined combination. The device according to item 12 of the scope of patent application, wherein the number of the predetermined combination of the coating chambers related to the number of the first cassettes is greater than three. The device for coating a plurality of substrates according to item 12 or 13 of the scope of patent application, further comprising a mask transfer system for transferring the masks from the predetermined combination of the coating chambers to The first cassette and vice versa, wherein the mask transfer system is assembled so that each of the coating chambers can be supplied with a new mask from the first cassette. The apparatus for coating a plurality of substrates according to item 14 of the scope of patent application, wherein the first cassette includes a first compartment and a second compartment. The method of claim 1, wherein the masks undergo a desorption process of more than 2 hours during storage of the masks in the cassettes. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the at least two cluster groups include a first cluster group and a second cluster group, and the first cluster group is A plurality of masks having a coating application time in one of the first coating application periods, and the second cluster group is composed of a plurality of masks having one coating application time in a second coating application period. The first coating application period and the second coating application period do not overlap, and the first cluster group is completely composed of a plurality of precision metal masks, and the second cluster group is completely composed of A plurality of exclusion masks. The method according to item 6 of the scope of patent application, further comprising at least one of the following: completely emptying at least one of the boxes, wherein all the masks of the at least one of the boxes are at the same time point Transfer to the first coating chamber, the second coating chamber, and a plurality of other coating chambers; and completely fill a plurality of new masks to the at least one of the cassettes at the same time point. The method according to item 6 of the patent application range, wherein transmitting the first mask to the first coating chamber and transmitting the second mask to the second coating chamber are corresponding to the first cassette One of the shortest application times of all the masks starts. The device for coating a plurality of substrates according to item 12 or 13 of the scope of patent application, wherein the first cassette includes a first compartment and a second compartment.