TWI473894B - Evaporation apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Evaporation equipment

The present invention relates to an evaporation apparatus.

Since the Organic Lighting Emitting Diode (OLED) has the characteristics of being flexible and portable, it has become one of the mainstream trends of display technology.

At present, the organic light-emitting diode is mainly formed by vapor-depositing an organic material of an organic light-emitting diode onto a substrate. The conventional evaporation source is a point evaporation source such as 坩埚. The manufacturer can place the organic material in the crucible. Next, the manufacturer can heat the organic material in an environment close to vacuum. Due to the different properties of different materials, some materials will be liquefied and then gasified, and some materials can be directly sublimated. Since the material after vaporization or sublimation does not move in a specific direction, many organic materials adhere to the inner wall of the vapor deposition chamber and cannot be evaporated onto the substrate. Therefore, only part of the organic material can be evaporated on the substrate, so the material utilization rate is not good.

In order to improve the material utilization rate, some manufacturers have developed a line evaporation source and a surface evaporation source. The wire evaporation source has a plurality of gas jet holes which are arranged along a straight line from which organic material can exit the gas jet tube and be evaporated onto the substrate. The main difference between the surface evaporation source and the wire evaporation source is that the gas injection holes of the surface evaporation source are distributed over the entire surface. The above surface evaporation source and line The material utilization rate of the evaporation source is superior to that of the point evaporation source.

However, compared with the point evaporation source, the thickness of the film layer deposited on the substrate by the wire evaporation source and the surface evaporation source is not uniform, thereby affecting the characteristics of the organic light-emitting diode.

In view of the above, the present invention provides an evaporation apparatus which can vaporize a film layer having a uniform thickness.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an evaporation apparatus includes a vapor deposition material supply device, a vapor deposition material input pipe, a carrier, a machine table, and a rotating mechanism. The vapor deposition material input pipe is connected to the vapor deposition material supply device. The carrier has a bearing surface. The bearing surface is used to carry the substrate to be evaporated. The machine is placed opposite the carrier. The machine contains at least a jet tube. The lance has a front port, a plurality of nozzles, and a tip end. The front port is connected to the vapor deposition material input pipe. The tip end is located at the other end of the lance tube relative to the front port. These nozzles are arranged along the front port to the end. The front port and the carrying surface define a first distance therebetween. The tip portion and the bearing surface define a second distance therebetween. The rotating mechanism is used to rotate the jet tube to an operating state. When the lance is in operation, the first distance is greater than the second distance.

In the above embodiment, the vapor deposition material flows from the front port to the end portion, so that the amount of the organic material evaporated from the nozzle closer to the end portion is smaller, so that the film deposited at the corresponding position on the substrate to be vapor-deposited The lower the thickness of the layer, the more uneven the film layer is formed. However, in the above embodiment, when the gas injection tube is in the operating state, the end portion is closer to the substrate to be vapor-deposited than the front port, and therefore, even if the amount of the organic material evaporated from the nozzle near the end portion is small, the nozzle The thickness of the film deposited on the substrate to be evaporated above is still It can be substantially equal to the thickness of the film deposited by the nozzles near the front port. As a result, the vapor deposition apparatus of the above embodiment can vapor-deposit a film layer having a uniform thickness.

The above description is only for explaining the problems to be solved by the present invention, the technical means for solving the problems, the effects thereof, and the like, and the specific details of the present invention will be described in detail in the following embodiments and related drawings.

100‧‧‧ machine

101‧‧‧ top surface

110‧‧‧jet tube

120‧‧‧ front port

130‧‧‧Nozzles

140‧‧‧End

150‧‧ ‧ datum

200‧‧‧bearing station

201‧‧‧ bearing surface

300‧‧‧Refining material supply device

310‧‧‧Organic material supply unit

320‧‧‧Inert gas supply

400‧‧‧Steaming plate input pipe

500‧‧‧Steamed substrate

502‧‧‧ front area

504‧‧‧After the area

600‧‧‧Rotating mechanism

610‧‧‧Rotary shaft drive

620‧‧‧ shaft

710‧‧‧ switch valve

720‧‧‧Control device

730‧‧‧ Film thickness detecting device

D1‧‧‧First distance

D2‧‧‧Second distance

H‧‧‧ reference surface

‧‧‧‧ angle

The above and other objects, features, advantages and embodiments of the present invention will become more <RTIgt; <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; The figure shows a partial cross-sectional view of the vapor deposition apparatus shown in Fig. 1 in an initial state; and Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the vapor deposition apparatus shown in Fig. 1 in an operating state.

The embodiments of the present invention are disclosed in the following drawings, and for the purpose of clarity However, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the details of the invention are not essential to the details of the invention. In addition, some of the conventional structures and elements are shown in the drawings in a simplified schematic manner in order to simplify the drawings.

1 is a plan view of an evaporation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , in the present embodiment, the vapor deposition apparatus may include a machine The stage 100, the stage 200, the vapor deposition material supply device 300, and the vapor deposition material supply pipe 400, the vapor deposition material supply device 300 is for supplying a vapor deposition material, and the vapor deposition material input pipe 400 is connected to the vapor deposition material supply device 300, The vapor deposition material supplied from the vapor deposition material supply device 300 is transported to the machine table 100.

Fig. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the vapor deposition apparatus shown in Fig. 1 in an initial state. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the vapor deposition apparatus shown in Fig. 1 in an operational state. As shown in the second and third figures, the loading platform 200 has a bearing surface 201 for carrying the substrate 500 to be vapor-deposited. The machine 100 is disposed below the loading platform 200 and disposed opposite the loading platform 200. At least a plurality of jet tubes 110 are included. The air duct 110 has a front port 120, a plurality of nozzles 130, and a distal end portion 140. The front port 120 is connected to the vapor deposition material input pipe 400, and the end portion 140 is located at the other end of the air injection pipe 110 with respect to the front port 120. The front port 120 is disposed to the distal end portion 140, that is, the nozzle 130 is located between the front port 120 and the distal end portion 140, and is arranged along the line connecting the front port 120 and the distal end portion 140.

As shown in FIG. 2, after the vapor deposition material inlet pipe 400 transports the vapor deposition material to the gas injection pipe 110, the vapor deposition material can be evaporated from each nozzle 130 to the substrate 500 to be vapor-deposited in a low-pressure high-temperature environment. Compared with the point evaporation source, the present embodiment can improve the material utilization rate. The evaporation material may comprise an organic material and an inert gas. Since the organic material is transported from the front port 120 to the end portion 140, some of the organic material will evaporate at the nozzle 130 near the front port 120. Therefore, the amount of the organic material evaporated from the nozzle 130 closer to the end portion 140 is less, and the difference in the amount of the organic material is such that the position of the substrate 500 to be vapor-deposited is farther away from the vapor deposition material input pipe 400. The thinner the thickness of the deposited film layer, that is, the area 504 after the substrate 500 to be vapor-deposited (is farther away from the evaporation material) The thickness of the film on the region of the inlet tube 400 may be smaller than the thickness of the film layer on the region 502 (the region closer to the vapor deposition material input tube 400) before the substrate 500 to be vapor-deposited, resulting in uneven thickness of the film layer.

Therefore, the vapor deposition apparatus of the present embodiment provides the rotation mechanism 600. The rotating mechanism 600 is coupled to the machine table 100, and the machine 100 can be rotated to rotate the air injection tube 110 from an initial state (see FIG. 2) to an operating state (see FIG. 3). As shown in FIG. 3, when the gas injection tube 110 is in the operating state, the end portion 140 is closer to the substrate 500 to be vapor-deposited than the front port 120, so that even the organic material evaporated from the nozzle 130 near the end portion 140 is organic. The amount of material is small, and the thickness of the film layer deposited in the region 504 after the substrate 500 to be vapor-deposited can still be substantially equal to the thickness of the film layer deposited in the region 502 before the substrate 500 to be vapor-deposited. As a result, the vapor deposition apparatus of the above embodiment can vapor-deposit a film layer having a uniform thickness.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the front port 120 and the bearing surface 201 of the carrier 200 define a first distance D1 therebetween, and the end portion 140 and the bearing surface 201 of the carrier 200 define a second distance D2 therebetween. When the rotating mechanism 600 rotates the jet tube 110 to the operating state, the first distance D1 is greater than the second distance D2. In this way, the end portion 140 can be closer to the substrate 500 to be vapor-deposited than the front port 120, and it is advantageous to evaporate a film layer having a uniform thickness.

In operation, as shown in Fig. 3, the rotating mechanism 600 can rotate the lance tube 110 from the initial state (see Fig. 2) by the angle α to the operating state. Further, in FIGS. 2 and 3, there is a reference surface H parallel to the bearing surface 201, the air tube 110 has a reference surface 150, and the air tube 110 is in an initial state (see FIG. 2), the reference surface 150 It is substantially parallel to the reference plane H. When the air duct 110 is rotated counterclockwise from the initial state to the operating state (may be Referring to FIG. 3), the reference surface 150 is not parallel to the reference surface H, and the two are sandwiched by an angle α therebetween, and the angle α is substantially between 10° and 30°, preferably 10°. ≦α≦30°. When the angle α is within the above range, the thickness of the film deposited on the substrate 500 to be evaporated by the evaporation material is relatively uniform.

It should be understood that the "angle α is substantially between 10 and 30 degrees" as described throughout the specification, except for 10 ° ≦ α ≦ 30 °, may also allow for slight errors. The percentage of this error may be less than 15%, preferably less than 10%, and more preferably less than 5%. For example, when the percentage of error is 15%, 8.5°≦α≦34.5°; when the percentage of error is 10%, 9°≦α≦33°; when the percentage of error is 5%, 9.5°≦ α≦31.5. . It should be understood that the range of the above angle α is merely an example, and the angle α of the present invention is not limited to the above range, and the user can adjust the angle α by himself according to various factors such as the difference of organic materials.

In some embodiments, when the air tube 110 is in an initial state (see FIG. 2), the difference between the first distance D1 and the second distance D2 is smaller than the operating state of the air tube 110 (see FIG. 3). Next, the difference between the first distance D1 and the second distance D2. In other words, the lance tube 110 is more inclined in the operating state than in the initial state. In some embodiments, when the lance tube 110 is in an initial state (see FIG. 2), the first distance D1 is equal to the second distance D2, and the reference plane 150 of the blunt jet 110 is parallel to the reference plane H.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the rotating mechanism 600 can include a rotating shaft driving device 610 and a rotating shaft 620. The rotating shaft 620 is coupled to the machine table 100. The rotating shaft driving device 610 is coupled to the rotating shaft 620 and is used for driving the rotating shaft 620 to rotate. The rotating shaft 620 With axial direction A, axial direction A is substantially vertical In the jet tube 110. Specifically, the axial direction A of the rotating shaft 620 is substantially perpendicular to the line connecting the port 120 and the tip end portion 140 of the lance tube 110. In this way, when the rotating shaft driving device 610 drives the rotating shaft 620 to rotate, the machine table 100 can rotate relative to the loading table 200 to change the first distance D1 (see FIG. 2) and the second distance D2 (refer to FIG. 2). ). In some embodiments, the angle α required for the rotation of the lance tube 110 is also the angle at which the shaft 620 is required to rotate, which can be stored in the spindle drive 610, such that when the spindle drive 610 is activated, it can automatically The shaft 620 is rotated by an angle α without manual adjustment.

In some embodiments, the machine 100 includes a plurality of jet tubes 110 disposed adjacent to each other and parallel to each other. The jet tubes 110 are substantially aligned along the longitudinal direction Y of the machine 100, and each jet The plurality of nozzles 130 in the tube 110 are arranged along the transverse direction X of the machine table 100, so that the function of the surface evaporation source can be realized, and the material utilization rate is improved.

In some embodiments, the rotating shaft 620 is disposed between the port 120 and the tip end portion 140 before the air duct 110. In other words, the rotating shaft 620 is spaced apart from the front port 120 and the distal end portion 140 by a distance. In this way, when the rotating shaft 620 rotates, both the front port 120 and the distal end portion 140 can move relative to the carrying platform 200, and the first distance D1 (see FIG. 2) and the second distance D2 can be simultaneously changed (see Chapter 2). For example, the first distance D1 is increased and the second distance D2 is shortened, as shown in FIG.

In some embodiments, the distance between the shaft 620 and the front port 120 is approximately equal to the distance between the shaft 620 and the tip portion 140. In other words, the rotating shaft 620 is equidistant from the front port 120 and the distal end portion 140. As such, when the rotating shaft 620 rotates, the front port 120 and the end portion 140 are opposite to the carrying platform. The amount of movement of 200 may be equal, that is, the amount of change of the first distance D1 (see Fig. 2) and the second distance D2 (see Fig. 2) may be equal.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, the machine table 100 includes a top surface 101. The top surface 101 is a surface of the machine table 100 facing the bearing surface 201 of the loading platform 200. The nozzle 130 is disposed on the top surface 101. That is, the nozzle 130 is at least partially exposed to the top surface 101 of the machine table 100 to eject the evaporation material toward the substrate 500 to be vapor-deposited on the bearing surface 201. When the lance tube 110 is in an operating state (see FIG. 3), the top surface 101 of the machine table 100 is not parallel to the bearing surface 201 of the stage 200, so that the nozzle 130 closer to the front port 120 is farther away from the substrate to be vapor-deposited. 500, the nozzle 130 closer to the end portion 140 is closer to the substrate 500 to be vapor-deposited, and further, a film layer having a uniform thickness is vapor-deposited on the substrate 500 to be vapor-deposited.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the diameter of the nozzle 130 may be tapered in the direction of the stage 100 toward the stage 200, that is, the diameter of the nozzle 130 may be from the air tube 110. The direction of the stage 200 is gradually reduced to increase the flow rate of the air stream, which facilitates the ejection of the evaporation material out of the air tube 110. In some embodiments, the nozzles 130 are parallel to each other, so that the advancement direction of the vapor deposition material sprayed by each of the nozzles 130 is substantially the same, and a film layer having a uniform thickness is vapor-deposited.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 , the vapor deposition material supply device 300 includes an organic material supply device 310 and an inert gas supply device 320 for providing an organic material to the vapor deposition material input pipe 400 . The inert gas supply device 320 is for supplying an inert gas to the vapor deposition material input pipe 400. The inert gas can help transport the organic material in the vapor deposition material input pipe 400. The inert gas can be argon gas, but the present invention does not This is limited. The organic material provided by the organic material supply device 310 may be a material of an organic light emitting diode (OLED), such as a material of an electrotransport layer, an electron transport layer, or a charge generating layer, to form an organic light emitting diode.

For example, the material of the hole transport layer may be N,N'-bis(naphthalen-1-yl)-N,N'-bis(phenyl)-benzidine (N,N'-Bis (naphthalen-1) -yl)-N,N'-bis(phenyl)-benzidine, NPB), 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexacyano-1,4,5,8,9,12-hexaaza Benzophenanthrene (2,3,6,7,10,11-Hexacyano-1,4,5,8,9,12-hexaazatriphenylene, HAT-CN), triphenylamine (4,4',4"-Tris ( Carbazol-9-yl)triphenylamine (TCTA) or copper phthalocyanine (CuPC), but the invention is not limited thereto. In addition, the material of the electronic transport layer (ETL) may be Tris(8-hydroxy quinoline)aluminum(III), Alq3), 2,9-dimethyl-4,7-biphenyl-1,10-o-diaza Bathocuproine (BCP), 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (Bphen), 2-methyl-9,10-bis(2-naphthalene)anthracene ((2-methyl-) 9,10-di[2-naphthyl]anthracene,MADN), 1,3,5-tris(1-phenyl-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)benzene (1,3,5-Tris(1- phenyl-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)benzene, TPBI), or TpyPhB, but the invention is not limited thereto. The material of the charge generating layer may be 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexacyano -1,4,5,8,9,12-hexaazabenzophenanthrene (2,3,6,7,10,11-Hexacyan O-1,4,5,8,9,12-hexaazatriphenylene, HAT-CN), 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7',8,8'-tetracyanodimethyl-p-benzoquinone (F4-TCNQ), Copper(II)phthalocyanine (CuPC), 8-Hydroxyquinolinolato-lithium (LiQ), 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenoline Porphyrin (4,7-Diphenyl-1,10-diazaphenanthrene, BPhen), Tris(8-hydroxy quinoline)aluminum(III), Alq3) or N,N'-bis(naphthalen-1-yl)-N,N'-double ( Phenyl)-benzidine (N, N'-Bis (naphthalen-1-yl)-N, N'-bis(phenyl)-benzidine, NPB), but the invention is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 , the vapor deposition apparatus may further include an on-off valve 710 , a control device 720 , and a film thickness detecting device 730 . The switching valve 710 is connected to the vapor deposition material input pipe 400. The control device 720 is connected to the switching valve 710 to control the switching valve 710 to open or close the vapor deposition material input pipe 400. The film thickness detecting device 730 is connected to the control device 720, and the film thickness detecting device 730 can be used to detect the thickness of the film deposited on the substrate 500 to be vapor-deposited (see FIG. 2), and the film is detected. The layer thickness is transmitted to the control device 720. The control device 720 can be used to control the switching valve 710 to close the vapor deposition material input pipe 400 when the film thickness is greater than a preset value, thereby preventing the film layer from being too thick.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and the present invention can be modified and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope is subject to the definition of the scope of the patent application attached.

100‧‧‧ machine

101‧‧‧ top surface

110‧‧‧jet tube

120‧‧‧ front port

130‧‧‧Nozzles

140‧‧‧End

150‧‧ ‧ datum

200‧‧‧bearing station

201‧‧‧ bearing surface

400‧‧‧Steaming plate input pipe

500‧‧‧Steamed substrate

502‧‧‧ front area

504‧‧‧After the area

620‧‧‧ shaft

D1‧‧‧First distance

D2‧‧‧Second distance

H‧‧‧ reference surface

‧‧‧‧ angle

Claims (10)

An evaporation device comprising: a vapor deposition material supply device; a vapor deposition material input pipe connected to the vapor deposition material supply device; and a loading platform having a bearing surface for carrying a substrate to be evaporated a machine platform disposed under the loading platform, the machine table is disposed opposite the loading platform, the machine platform includes: at least one air nozzle, having a front port, a plurality of nozzles, and a terminal portion, the front port is connected to the a vapor deposition material input pipe, the end portion is located at the other end of the gas injection pipe relative to the front port, the nozzles are disposed along the front port to the end portion, wherein the front port and the bearing surface have a a first distance, a second distance between the end portion and the bearing surface; and a rotating mechanism for rotating the machine to an operating state, wherein the first distance is when the lance is in the operating state The system is greater than the second distance. The vapor deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rotating mechanism is configured to rotate the machine from an initial state by an angle α to the operating state, wherein the angle α is substantially between 10° and 30°. . The vapor deposition apparatus of claim 2, wherein a difference between the first distance and the second distance in the initial state of the gas pipe is smaller than the first distance of the gas pipe in the operating state The difference between the second distances. The vapor deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rotating mechanism comprises a rotating shaft having an axial direction that is substantially perpendicular to the gas injection tube. The vapor deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the machine comprises a plurality of jet tubes disposed adjacent to each other and parallel to each other. The vapor deposition apparatus of claim 4, wherein the rotating shaft is disposed between the front port and the end portion of the air duct. The vapor deposition apparatus of claim 6, wherein a distance between the rotating shaft and the front port is approximately equal to a distance between the rotating shaft and the end portion. The vapor deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the machine comprises a top surface, the nozzles being disposed on the top surface, wherein the top surface is not parallel to the bearing surface when in the operating state. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vapor deposition material supply device comprises: an organic material supply device for supplying an organic material to the vapor deposition material input pipe; and an inert gas supply device for supplying an inert gas To the vapor deposition material input pipe. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: An on-off valve is connected between the vapor deposition material supply device and the vapor deposition material input pipe; a film thickness detecting device for detecting the thickness of a film layer deposited on the substrate to be vapor-deposited; A control device is configured to control the switch valve to close to stop supplying the vapor deposition material when the thickness of the film layer is greater than a predetermined value.