Apparatus for vacuum deposition system and system for vacuum deposition

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for a vacuum deposition system, the apparatus comprising: a movable body; at least one deposition source, the at least one deposition source being mounted on the movable body; at least one coating window associated with the at least one deposition source and mounted on the movable body; and at least one cooling device connected to the at least one coating window and mounted on the movable body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to apparatus for vacuum deposition systems and systems for vacuum deposition. Background Art

[0002] Systems for coating films onto substrates in a vacuum usually use physical vapor deposition (PVD) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes. In contrast to printing, the coating source has a necessary distance from the film. The coating process can be aligned with the substrate only to a limited extent. Therefore, in addition to the substrate, the interior of the vacuum chamber surrounding the source and substrate is also coated. This recognized non-productive coating contaminates the surrounding environment. Therefore, regular cleaning is necessary.

[0003] In order to simplify cleaning, the chamber is usually provided with plates / parts that are easily replaced for cleaning. In particular, the coating window used as a mask limits the coating on the substrate. In order to achieve a high degree of coating uniformity on the substrate, a large amount of coating is carried out on the edge of the coating window during the deposition process. Therefore, the coating window becomes hot. In flexible coating systems, the substrate is made of a temperature-sensitive film. The maximum temperature tolerance of the film and the temperature of the coating window limit the maximum coating rate.

[0004] In prior art systems, the substrate is cooled by a cooling roller during coating. In known processes and apparatuses, the coating window is appropriately connected to the cooling roller in order to ensure adequate cooling. This results in difficult and costly assembly conditions. In particular, the coating window can only be removed from the system with difficulty. The cooling roller and the shielding are moved relative to each other and the cooling is still limited. Since regular cleaning of the coating window is essential, this has a negative impact on the productivity of the system.

[0005] In the prior art, the system includes a chamber with a cooled coating roller that moves the substrate in front of the PVD source. The coating source is located on a cart to move the source out of the vacuum chamber (deposition chamber) for maintenance. The coating cart closes the vacuum chamber. The cart has a magnetron cathode / coating source, as well as a shield to receive the recoating (back coating), other components and a cooling system under the vacuum chamber. The shield is attached to the cooling system. The coating window is installed in the vacuum chamber for better cooling. Installation and removal are time consuming.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for a vacuum deposition system and a system for vacuum deposition which overcome the above-mentioned limitations of the prior art. One object of the present invention is to provide a coating window which is easy to change and remains sufficiently cold to achieve a high deposition rate. This object is achieved using the features of the independent claims. The dependent claims define preferred embodiments of the invention. Summary of the invention

[0007] The present disclosure provides an apparatus for a vacuum deposition system, the apparatus comprising: a moving body; at least one deposition source, the at least one deposition source being mounted on the moving body; at least one coating window, the at least one coating window being associated with the at least one deposition source and being mounted on the moving body; and at least one cooling device, the at least one cooling device being connected to the at least one coating window and being mounted on the moving body.

[0008] Various embodiments may preferably achieve the following features:

[0009] Preferably, the movable body is movable relative to a vacuum chamber of the vacuum deposition system such that the movable body can be inserted into and extracted from the vacuum chamber.

[0010] Preferably, the movable body closes the vacuum chamber when fully inserted into the vacuum chamber.

[0011] Preferably, the at least one coating window comprises a housing having an opening.

[0012] Preferably, the opening is located at the side of the coating window which (in use) faces the substrate to be coated.

[0013] Preferably, the housing comprises side walls extending substantially in the deposition direction.

[0014] Preferably, the housing comprises a front wall extending substantially perpendicular to the deposition direction.

[0015] Preferably, the front wall includes an opening therein.

[0016] Preferably, the at least one deposition source is configured to deposit material within the deposition space, wherein a main deposition direction is aligned towards the opening of the at least one coating window.

[0017] Preferably, the housing of the at least one coating window is configured to surround the at least one deposition source within the deposition space, so that material not deposited through the opening is deposited on the inner side of the housing.

[0018] Preferably, each of the at least one coating window is associated with a respective one of the at least one deposition source.

[0019] Preferably, the apparatus further comprises at least one shield located between the at least one deposition source and the at least one coating window, wherein the at least one shield and the at least one coating window are connected to at least one cooling device.

[0020] That is, according to the preferred embodiment, the shield is carefully designed to receive most of the unused coating material, i.e., the back coating, i.e., the coating material not deposited on the substrate. This reduces the heat of the coating window and helps to overcome the limitation of the coating speed in the prior art.

[0021] Preferably, the at least one shield and the at least one coated window are connected to separate cooling devices, or more preferably to the same cooling device.

[0022] Preferably, the at least one shield is configured to shield a substantial portion of the at least one coating window.

[0023] Preferably, at least one shield comprises a shield housing having a shield opening, wherein the shield opening is aligned with an opening of the at least one coating window.

[0024] Preferably, the shield housing is located between the at least one deposition source and the at least one coating window at a predetermined spacing relative to the coating window.

[0025] Preferably, the shield opening is larger than the opening of the at least one coating window by a predetermined amount.

[0026] Preferably, the shield has substantially the same shape as the coating window.

[0027] Preferably, at least one cooling device is connected to at least one shield.

[0028] The present disclosure also provides a system for vacuum deposition, the system comprising: a vacuum chamber; a substrate carrier located in the vacuum chamber and having a vacuum chamber cooling device configured to cool the substrate carrier; and the device for the vacuum deposition system as described above.

[0029] Various embodiments may preferably achieve the following features:

[0030] Preferably, the movable body is movable relative to the vacuum chamber so that the movable body can be inserted into and extracted from the vacuum chamber.

[0031] Preferably, the substrate carrier is configured to hold a substrate, and wherein the substrate carrier is aligned with the at least one coating window such that material can be deposited on the substrate through the at least one coating window.

[0032] Preferably, the vacuum chamber cooling device and the at least one cooling device are separate devices.

[0033] Preferably, according to the above, the shield is mounted on the cathode trolley for easy maintenance. Preferably the connection to the cooling system is ensured. Due to the long distance to the radiator, the cooling efficiency is limited.

[0034] The present disclosure also provides an apparatus for a vacuum deposition system, the apparatus comprising: at least one deposition source; at least one coating window, the at least one coating window being associated with the at least one deposition source; at least one cooling device, the at least one cooling device being connected to the at least one coating window; and at least one shielding member, the at least one shielding member being located between the at least one deposition source and the at least one coating window, wherein the at least one shielding member and the at least one coating window are connected to the at least one cooling device.

[0035] That is, according to the preferred embodiment, the shield is carefully designed to receive most of the unused coating material, i.e., the back coating, i.e., the coating material not deposited on the substrate. This reduces the heat of the coating window and helps to overcome the limitation of the coating speed in the prior art.

[0036] As described above, the shield is preferably formed so that most of the back coating is received by the shield rather than by the coating window. Therefore, the amount of back coating on the coating window is reduced.

[0037] The shield is preferably positioned so that thermal deformation does not affect the coating process.Preferably, the shield is configured so that the high temperature of the shield does not result in heating of the substrate.

[0038] The shield and coating window and their cooling are preferably optimized to minimize substrate heating. Therefore, the shield may heat up and deform instead of the coating window.

[0039] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are intended to provide features that will become apparent by reference to the following description when combined with the accompanying drawings. According to various embodiments, exemplary systems, methods, devices, and computer program products are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example and not limitation, and it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art who read this disclosure that various modifications may be made to the disclosed embodiments while remaining within the scope of this disclosure.

[0040] Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and applications described and illustrated herein. In addition, the specific order and / or hierarchy of the steps in the methods disclosed herein are merely exemplary methods. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of the steps of the disclosed methods or processes can be rearranged while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the methods and techniques disclosed herein present various steps or actions in an example order, and unless otherwise expressly stated, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] The above and other aspects and embodiments thereof are described in more detail in the drawings, the description and the claims.

[0042] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view along a coating direction according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0043] Figure 2 is based on Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of an embodiment transverse to the coating direction.

[0044] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along a coating direction according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0045] Figure 4 is based on Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of an embodiment transverse to the coating direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Figure 1 It is a cross-sectional view along the coating direction. Figure 1 A cooled coating roller 100 is shown moving a substrate 110 along a coating window 20 . Figure 1 The deposition source 10 and the cooling device 30 are further shown.

[0047] Figure 2 is with Figure 1 The illustrated embodiment corresponds to a corresponding cross-sectional view transverse to the coating direction. The same reference numerals indicate the same elements and will not be repeated.

[0048] As from Figure 1 and Figure 2 As can be seen in the figure, the coating window 20 accommodates the entire back coating 40. Although not shown in the figure, the deposition source 10, the coating window 20 and the cooling device 30 are mounted on the movable body. The movable body can move relative to the vacuum chamber (not shown), and the vacuum chamber includes a cooling coating roller 100 (also called a substrate carrier). The movable body opens and closes the deposition chamber (also called a vacuum chamber).

[0049] The back coating layer 40 is a coating layer that does not reach the substrate, but is deposited on the coating window 20. Therefore, the shape of the coating window 20 is preferably configured to receive all or at least a large amount of the back coating layer 40.

[0050] In an embodiment, the cooled coating roller may be cooled by a vacuum chamber cooling device (not shown), which may be different from the cooling device 30 and may be located in the vacuum chamber.

[0051] The coating window 20 comprises an opening towards the substrate 110 to deposit material through the opening. The coating window 20 comprises a side wall oriented substantially in the deposition direction and a front wall substantially perpendicular to the deposition direction (parallel to the substrate), wherein the front wall comprises the opening. A first end of the coating window 20 is connected to the cooling device 30. The front wall is positioned on a second end of the coating window 20 opposite to the first end.

[0052] Figure 3 It is a cross-sectional view along the coating direction. Figure 3 A cooled coating roller 100 is shown moving a substrate 110 along a coating window 20 . Figure 3 The deposition source 10 , the cooling device 30 , and the shield 50 are further shown.

[0053] Figure 4 is with Figure 3 The embodiment shown corresponds to a corresponding cross-sectional view transverse to the coating direction. The same reference numerals indicate the same elements and will not be repeated. In general, Figure 3 and Figure 4 Implementation plan and Figure 1 and Figure 2 The embodiments of are substantially the same (except for the use of additional shielding members), and therefore the corresponding description thereof will not be repeated.

[0054] As from Figure 3 and Figure 4 As can be seen in FIG. 1 , the shield 50 receives the majority of the back coating 40, while the coating window 20 receives only a small portion of the back coating 40. Thus, the shield 50 can heat up and possibly deform without negatively impacting the process, while the coating window 20 is less heated (e.g., less than the coating window 20). Figure 1 implementation scheme).

[0055] The shield 50 is located on the inner side of the coating window 20 and preferably has a predetermined distance from the coating window 20. As described above, the shield 50 is configured so that most of the back coating 40 is deposited on the shield 50, and only a small amount of the back coating 40 is deposited on the coating window 20, especially around the opening of the coating window 20.

[0056] In an embodiment, the shield 50 includes sidewalls that substantially follow the sidewalls of the coating window 20. In another embodiment, the shield 50 is located near the opening of the coating window 20, preferably at a predetermined distance from the opening of the coating window 20. The predetermined distance is preferably selected to be as small as possible and such that the shield 50 does not negatively affect the coating process. The predetermined distance can vary within the extension range of the shield 50.

[0057] In other words, the shield 50 includes an opening in its front wall that may be slightly larger than the opening provided in the coating window 20. There may be a gap between the opening of the shield 50 and the opening of the coating window 20. It is this gap that receives some (a small amount) of the back coating 40 so that the back coating can reach the coating window 20 as described above.

[0058] In an embodiment, the coating window 20 may be provided with a solder heat sink in the substrate area. This may allow for a greater amount of coating.

[0059] In view of the above, the use of a cooling device 30 that directly cools the coating window 20 (which is located on the active body) and / or the use of a shield 50 allows the use of a single-piece coating window 20, which can be changed without much effort. In addition, it is expected that the coating window 20 remains cooler during the process compared to conventional methods. This allows operation at higher output or higher coating rates. Therefore, product quality is improved and productivity is increased.

[0060] Although various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it should be understood that they are only examples and not limitations. Similarly, various figures can depict example architectures or configurations, which are provided to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the exemplary features and functions of the present disclosure. However, these people will understand that the present disclosure is not limited to the example architectures or configurations shown, but can be implemented using various alternative architectures and configurations. In addition, as will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, one or more features of an embodiment can be combined with one or more features of another embodiment described herein. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the exemplary embodiments described above.

[0061] It should also be understood that any reference to an element using names such as "first", "second", etc. herein does not generally limit the number or order of these elements. On the contrary, these names can be used as a convenient means of distinguishing two or more elements or element instances in this article. Therefore, the reference to the first element and the second element does not mean that only two elements can be used, nor does it mean that the first element must precede the second element in some way.

[0062] Various modifications to the embodiments described in this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but should be given the widest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein, as described in the appended claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a vacuum deposition system, the apparatus comprising: Activity subject, at least one deposition source (10), the at least one deposition source being mounted on the movable body, at least one coating window (20) associated with the at least one deposition source (10) and mounted on the movable body, and At least one cooling device (30) is connected to the at least one coating window (20) and is mounted on the movable body. 2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the movable body is movable relative to a vacuum chamber of a vacuum deposition system so that the movable body can be inserted into and extracted from the vacuum chamber.

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one coating window (20) comprises a housing having an opening.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the at least one deposition source (10) is configured to deposit material in a deposition space, wherein a main deposition direction is aligned towards the opening of the at least one coating window (20).

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the shell of the at least one coating window (20) is configured to surround the at least one deposition source (10) within the deposition space so that material not deposited through the opening is deposited on the inner side of the shell.

6. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein each coating window of the at least one coating window (20) is associated with a respective one of the at least one deposition source (10).

7. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising at least one shielding member (50) located between the at least one deposition source (10) and the at least one coating window (20), wherein the at least one shielding member (50) and the at least one coating window (20) are connected to the at least one cooling device (30), wherein the at least one shielding member (50) and the at least one coating window (20) are preferably connected to separate cooling devices (30), or more preferably connected to the same cooling device (30).

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one shield (50) is configured to shield a majority of the at least one coating window (20).

9. The device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the at least one shield (50) comprises a shield housing having a shield opening, wherein the shield opening is aligned with the opening of the at least one coating window (20).

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the shield housing is located between the at least one deposition source (10) and the at least one coating window (20) at a predetermined distance.

11. The device according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the shield opening is larger than the opening of the at least one coating window (20) by a predetermined amount.

12. A system for vacuum deposition, the system comprising: Vacuum chamber, a substrate carrier (100) located in the vacuum chamber and having a vacuum chamber cooling device, the vacuum chamber cooling device being configured to cool the substrate carrier (100), and A device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the movable body is movable relative to the vacuum chamber such that the movable body can be inserted into and extracted from the vacuum chamber.

14. A system according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the substrate carrier (100) is configured to hold a substrate (110), and wherein the substrate carrier (100) is aligned with the at least one coating window (20) so that material can be deposited on the substrate (110) through the at least one coating window (20).

15. The device according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the vacuum chamber cooling device and the at least one cooling device (30) are separate devices.

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