Evaporation apparatus and cleaning method

Abstract

The application provides an evaporation device and a cleaning method. The evaporation device comprises an evaporation source, a nozzle, a mounting plate, a sleeve, a scraper assembly and a controller. The evaporation source is used for heating evaporation material to generate vapor. The nozzle is used for spraying the vapor generated by the evaporation source. The mounting plate has an avoiding hole. The mounting plate is arranged on the top surface of the evaporation source, and the nozzle is located in the avoiding hole. The sleeve is arranged on the mounting plate, and the normal projection of the sleeve opening close to the mounting plate on the mounting plate covers the avoiding hole. The scraper assembly comprises a telescopic connecting rod, a scraper frame connected with the connecting rod, and a scraper arranged on the scraper frame. The connecting rod is rotationally connected to the mounting plate. The controller is used for controlling the extension and rotation of the connecting rod, so that the scraper extends into the sleeve, thereby scraping off the evaporation material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve. The application solves the problem that the evaporation material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve in the existing evaporation process may be deposited on the nozzle during the removal process, thereby causing the nozzle to be blocked.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of evaporation coating technology, and in particular to an evaporation coating apparatus and a cleaning method. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the technology of heating, evaporating, and depositing organic materials onto a substrate in a vacuum environment is called evaporation coating technology (or simply vapor deposition). In this process, a nozzle is typically used to spray the vapor deposition material generated by the vapor deposition source onto the substrate, and a sleeve surrounds the nozzle to control the angle at which the material is sprayed onto the substrate. However, after prolonged spraying of vapor deposition material from the nozzle, material tends to accumulate on the inner wall of the sleeve, reducing its inner diameter. This narrows the range of angles at which the material is sprayed onto the substrate, thus affecting the vapor deposition effect.

[0003] In the prior art, a heating device is usually installed on the sleeve. The heating device heats the vapor deposition material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve, which can evaporate the vapor deposition material. However, since the sleeve surrounds the nozzle, during the evaporation process of the vapor deposition material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve, the evaporated vapor deposition material may be deposited on the nozzle again, causing nozzle blockage. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a vapor deposition apparatus and a cleaning method, which solves the problem that vapor deposition material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve in the existing vapor deposition process may deposit on the nozzle during the removal process, causing nozzle blockage.

[0005] This invention is implemented as follows: a vapor deposition apparatus includes a vapor deposition source, a nozzle, a mounting plate, a sleeve, a scraper assembly, and a controller. The vapor deposition source includes a accommodating cavity and a heating element. The accommodating cavity stores vapor deposition material, and the heating element heats the vapor deposition material to generate steam. The top surface of the vapor deposition source has an evaporation hole communicating with the accommodating cavity. The nozzle is located at the evaporation hole and is used to eject steam from the accommodating cavity. The mounting plate has a clearance hole and is located on the top surface of the vapor deposition source, with the nozzle located within the clearance hole. The sleeve is located on the mounting plate, and the orthographic projection of the sleeve's opening near the mounting plate covers the clearance hole. The scraper assembly includes a telescopic connecting rod, a scraper holder connecting the connecting rod, and a scraper mounted on the scraper holder. The connecting rod is rotatably connected to the mounting plate. The controller controls the telescopic extension and rotation of the connecting rod to allow the scraper to extend into the sleeve, thereby scraping off the vapor deposition material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve.

[0006] In one embodiment, the scraper holder is rotatably connected to the connecting rod;

[0007] The scraper holder is electrically connected to a controller, which controls the extension and rotation of the connecting rod, as well as the rotation of the scraper holder around the central axis of the sleeve, so that the scraper can extend into the sleeve to scrape off the vapor-deposited material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve.

[0008] In one embodiment, the connecting rod includes a first support rod and a second support rod, one end of the first support rod is rotatably connected to the mounting plate, the other end of the first support rod is connected to the second support rod, and the scraper holder is rotatably connected to the end of the second support rod away from the first support rod;

[0009] The first support rod extends perpendicularly to the mounting plate, and the first support rod is telescopic.

[0010] The extension direction of the second support rod is perpendicular to the extension direction of the first support rod, and the second support rod is telescopic.

[0011] In one embodiment, the scraper holder is located on the side of the second support rod closer to the mounting plate;

[0012] Optionally, the scraper holder is a columnar body, and the side of the scraper away from the scraper holder is parallel to the central axis of the scraper holder;

[0013] The sleeve is cylindrical, and the distance between the central axis of the scraper holder and the side of the scraper away from the scraper holder is equal to half the inner diameter of the sleeve.

[0014] In one embodiment, a distance measuring device is provided on the first support rod, which is used to measure the distance between the first support rod and the scraper frame;

[0015] The distance measuring device is electrically connected to the controller;

[0016] Optionally, the ranging device is located at the end of the first support rod near the second support rod.

[0017] In one embodiment, when the first support rod is in the extended state, both the scraper holder and the scraper are higher than the sleeve;

[0018] Optionally, when the first support rod is in the retracted state and the second support rod is in the extended state, both the scraper holder and the scraper extend into the sleeve.

[0019] In one embodiment, an elastic connecting assembly is connected between the scraper and the scraper holder. The elastic connecting assembly is used to generate an elastic force and apply it to the scraper so that the scraper abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve.

[0020] In one embodiment, the elastic connection assembly includes a first connecting plate, a second connecting plate, an elastic element connected between the first connecting plate and the second connecting plate, and a pressure sensor;

[0021] The first connecting plate is connected to the scraper holder, the pressure sensor is located on the side surface of the first connecting plate facing away from the elastic member, and the pressure sensor abuts against the scraper holder. The scraper is connected to the second connecting plate.

[0022] Optionally, there may be multiple elastic elements, which are evenly distributed between the first connecting plate and the second connecting plate.

[0023] In one embodiment, the length of the side of the scraper away from the scraper holder is greater than or equal to the distance between the nozzle and the sleeve opening away from the mounting plate.

[0024] In one embodiment, along the central axis of the sleeve, the side of the scraper away from the second support rod protrudes from the side of the scraper holder away from the second support rod.

[0025] In one embodiment, the vapor deposition apparatus further includes a moving device connected to the mounting plate, the moving device being used to drive the mounting plate to move along the central axis of the sleeve;

[0026] Optional, mobile device electrical connection controller.

[0027] In one embodiment, the vapor deposition apparatus further includes a heating device for heating the scraper when the scraper is outside the sleeve;

[0028] Optionally, the scraper holder has a hollow structure;

[0029] The scraper holder is equipped with a heating device, which is used to heat the scraper when the scraper holder is outside the sleeve;

[0030] Optionally, the heating device is used to heat the scraper when the scraper holder is outside the sleeve and the first support rod is in the retracted state;

[0031] Optionally, the heating device is used to heat the scraper when the scraper holder is outside the sleeve and when the first support rod is in the retracted state and the second support rod is in the retracted state;

[0032] Optional, the heating device is electrically connected to the controller.

[0033] In one embodiment, both the scraper holder and the scraper are made of metal.

[0034] In one embodiment, there are multiple sleeves and multiple scraper assemblies, with each scraper assembly corresponding to one of the multiple sleeves.

[0035] This application also provides a cleaning method for cleaning the sleeve in the vapor deposition apparatus as described in any of the above embodiments, comprising the following steps:

[0036] The controller controls the linkage to rotate and extend, so that the scraper holder and scraper extend into the sleeve, and the scraper abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve;

[0037] The controller controls the scraper holder to rotate around the central axis of the sleeve, so that the scraper scrapes off the vapor-deposited material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve.

[0038] In one embodiment, the controller controls the linkage to rotate and extend, so that the scraper holder and scraper extend into the sleeve, and the scraper abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve, including the following steps:

[0039] The controller controls the extension and rotation of the first support rod;

[0040] The controller controls the extension of the second support rod so that the scraper holder and scraper are located on the side of the sleeve away from the mounting plate;

[0041] The controller controls the retraction of the first support rod so that the scraper holder and scraper extend into the sleeve, and the scraper abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve;

[0042] Optionally, after scraping off the vapor-deposited material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve with a scraper, the cleaning method may also include:

[0043] The controller controls the extension of the first support rod so that the scraper holder and scraper are located on the side of the sleeve away from the mounting plate;

[0044] The controller controls the retraction of the second support rod;

[0045] The controller controls the first support rod to rotate and retract so that the orthographic projection of the scraper holder and scraper on the mounting plate is outside the orthographic projection of the sleeve on the mounting plate;

[0046] The heating device heats the scraper located outside the sleeve.

[0047] The beneficial effects of the vapor deposition apparatus and cleaning method provided in this application are as follows: Compared with the prior art, this application also provides a scraper assembly on the mounting plate with the sleeve. The connecting rod of the scraper assembly is electrically connected to the controller. The controller controls the extension, retraction and rotation of the connecting rod so that the scraper holder connected to the connecting rod extends into the sleeve, and the scraper connected to the scraper holder abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve. Then, the controller controls the scraper holder to rotate around the central axis of the sleeve, so that the scraper scrapes off the vapor deposition material attached to the inner wall of the sleeve. After the vapor deposition material attached to the inner wall of the sleeve is removed, the controller controls the extension, retraction and rotation of the connecting rod so that the scraper holder and scraper extend out of the sleeve. This allows the vapor deposition material on the inner wall of the sleeve to be automatically removed without manual operation. Moreover, after the vapor deposition material on the inner wall of the sleeve is scraped off, it will fall in chunks around the nozzle and will not accumulate on the nozzle, thus preventing clogging. Attached Figure Description

[0048] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the vapor deposition apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0049] Figure 2 This is a top view of the sleeve and nozzle of the vapor deposition apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0050] Figure 3A This is a schematic diagram of the state of the scraper assembly of the vapor deposition apparatus provided in this application embodiment when it is not in operation;

[0051] Figure 3BThis is a schematic diagram of the state of the first support rod of the vapor deposition apparatus provided in the embodiment of this application when it is extended;

[0052] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the state of the evaporation apparatus provided in this application before the scraper assembly extends into the sleeve. Figure 1 ;

[0053] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the state of the evaporation apparatus provided in this application before the scraper assembly extends into the sleeve. Figure 2 ;

[0054] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the state of the scraper assembly of the vapor deposition apparatus provided in this application extending into the sleeve;

[0055] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the evaporation apparatus provided in this application, showing the elastic connection component on the scraper assembly.

[0056] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing the state of the scraper assembly extending into the sleeve after the mounting plate of the vapor deposition apparatus provided in this application embodiment has been moved;

[0057] Figure 9A This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of a display panel obtained by vapor deposition using the vapor deposition apparatus provided in this application embodiment;

[0058] Figure 9B This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of a display panel obtained by vapor deposition using the vapor deposition apparatus provided in this application embodiment;

[0059] Figure 10 This is a schematic flowchart of the cleaning method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0060] Figure 11 yes Figure 10 A detailed flowchart of step S101 is shown below;

[0061] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the specific process of the cleaning method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0062] Reference numerals: 1. Evaporation source; 11. Receptacle; 12. Heating element; 10. Evaporation hole;

[0063] 2. Nozzle; 3. Mounting plate; 31. Clearance hole; 4. Sleeve;

[0064] 5. Scraper assembly; 51. First support rod; 52. Second support rod; 53. Scraper holder; 530. Heating device; 54. Scraper; 55. First connecting plate; 56. Second connecting plate; 57. Elastic element; 58. Pressure sensor;

[0065] 6. Controller; 7. Distance measuring device; 8. Mobility device;

[0066] 20. Display panel; 21. Substrate; 22. Isolation structure; 22a. First layer; 22b. Second layer; 22c. Third layer; 22d. Isolation opening; 23. Light-emitting layer; 23a. Light-emitting unit; 24. First electrode layer; 24a. First electrode; 25. Pixel definition layer; 25a. Pixel limiting portion; 25b. Pixel opening; 25c. Second electrode; 26. First encapsulation layer; 26a. Encapsulation portion. Detailed Implementation

[0067] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0068] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on or indirectly on that other component. When a component is referred to as being "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to or indirectly connected to that other component.

[0069] It should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0070] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0071] It should also be noted that in the embodiments of this application, the same reference numerals are used to represent the same component or part. For the same part in the embodiments of this application, the reference numerals may only be used to mark one part or component as an example. It should be understood that the reference numerals are also applicable to other identical parts or components.

[0072] Currently, the technique of heating, evaporating, and depositing organic materials onto a substrate in a vacuum environment is called evaporation coating technology (or simply vapor deposition). This technology is favored by industry professionals due to its wide range of applications and low pollution levels. Metals such as silver and magnesium have excellent electrical conductivity and are widely used as cathode materials in OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) vacuum coating.

[0073] In vapor deposition apparatus of related technologies, the vapor deposition material is generally heated and evaporated by an evaporation source. Then, the evaporated vapor deposition gas is sprayed onto the substrate to be coated using a nozzle set on the evaporation source to complete the coating process. Since the nozzle sprays the vapor deposition gas onto the substrate from all directions, it is possible that only a portion of the vapor deposition gas is deposited on the substrate, while the other portion is sprayed around the substrate, resulting in waste of coating material and poor uniformity of film thickness on the substrate.

[0074] Based on this, related technologies typically employ a sleeve around the nozzle, with the nozzle located inside the sleeve. This allows for control over the angle at which the nozzle sprays the coating gas onto the substrate, preventing material waste and promoting a more uniform film thickness on the substrate. However, during operation, the nozzle continuously ejects coating gas, which comes into contact with the inner wall of the sleeve. After prolonged operation, a thick layer of coating material accumulates on the inner wall of the sleeve, reducing its inner diameter and consequently decreasing the angle at which the nozzle sprays the coating gas onto the substrate.

[0075] In related technologies, after the vapor deposition apparatus has been working for a period of time, it is disassembled and the vapor deposition material adhering to the inner wall of the sleeve is manually cleaned. This not only increases the workload of the workers, but also causes the vapor deposition apparatus to be shut down for too long, affecting the efficiency of coating on a batch of substrates to be vapor deposited. To solve the above problems, another approach is to embed a heating layer inside the sleeve or set a heating layer outside the sleeve. After the vapor deposition apparatus has been working for a period of time, the heating layer can be used to heat the sleeve, thereby evaporating the vapor deposition material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve, thus achieving the purpose of removing the vapor deposition material on the inner wall of the sleeve. However, during the process of heating and evaporating the vapor deposition material on the inner wall of the sleeve, although most of the vapor deposition gas is released from the sleeve, some vapor deposition gas will still be deposited on the nozzle. If the vapor deposition material on the inner wall of the sleeve is heated and evaporated repeatedly, the vapor deposition material deposited on the nozzle will clog the nozzle, affecting the normal operation of the vapor deposition apparatus.

[0076] Therefore, this application provides a vapor deposition apparatus that solves the problem in related technologies where vapor deposition material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve may deposit onto the nozzle during the removal process, causing nozzle blockage.

[0077] refer to Figure 1 The vapor deposition apparatus provided in this application includes a vapor deposition source 1, a nozzle 2, a mounting plate 3, a sleeve 4, a scraper assembly 5, and a controller 6. The vapor deposition source 1 includes a accommodating cavity 11 and a heating element 12. The accommodating cavity 11 stores vapor deposition material, and the heating element 12 is used to heat the vapor deposition material to generate steam. The top surface of the vapor deposition source 1 is provided with an evaporation hole 10 that communicates with the accommodating cavity 11.

[0078] Multiple evaporation holes 10 can be provided, and the heating element 12 can be located inside or outside the receiving cavity 11, without specific limitation in this embodiment. The heating element 12 can be a heating wire. If the heating element 12 is located inside the receiving cavity 11, the heating wire can be bent into a serpentine structure. If the heating element 12 is located outside the receiving cavity 11, the heating wire can be evenly wound around the outer wall of the receiving cavity 11. In this way, the vapor deposition material inside the receiving cavity 11 can be heated evenly, which is beneficial to ensure that the steam rate and flow rate flowing out of the receiving cavity 11 from each evaporation hole 10 are the same, thereby making the film thickness on the substrate to be coated more uniform and the coating effect better.

[0079] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 In this embodiment, the nozzle 2 is located at the evaporation hole 10 and is used to spray steam from the accommodating cavity 11; the mounting plate 3 has a clearance hole 31 and is located on the top surface of the vapor deposition source 1, with the nozzle 2 located inside the clearance hole 31; the sleeve 4 is located on the mounting plate 3, and the orthogonal projection of the sleeve 4 near the mounting plate 3 onto the mounting plate 3 covers the clearance hole 31; the scraper assembly 5 includes a telescopic connecting rod, a scraper holder 53 connecting the connecting rod, and a scraper 54 located on the scraper holder 53, with the connecting rod rotatably connected to the mounting plate 3; the controller 6 is electrically connected to the connecting rod and is used to control the telescopic extension and rotation of the connecting rod so that the scraper 54 extends into the sleeve 4, thereby scraping off the vapor deposition material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve 4.

[0080] Furthermore, the scraper holder 53 is rotatably connected to the connecting rod; the scraper holder 53 is electrically connected to the controller 6, which controls the extension and rotation of the connecting rod, and controls the scraper holder 53 to rotate around the central axis of the sleeve 4, so that the scraper 54 extends into the sleeve 4 to scrape off the vapor-deposited material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve 4.

[0081] In the use of the vapor deposition apparatus of this application embodiment, the nozzle 2 is facing upward. The substrate to be coated is placed above the vapor deposition apparatus, and the nozzle 2 sprays steam generated by heating and evaporating the vapor deposition material towards the substrate to be coated. The steam will then deposit on the substrate to be coated to form a film layer, thereby completing the coating process on the substrate to be coated.

[0082] The specific implementation process of the scraper 54 scraping off the vapor-deposited material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve 4 in this embodiment is as follows: The controller 6 controls the connecting rod of the scraper assembly 5 to extend along the central axis of the sleeve 4, and then controls the connecting rod to rotate so that the scraper holder 53 is above the sleeve 4. Then, the controller 6 continues to control the connecting rod to extend radially in the sleeve 4 so that the scraper holder 53 is directly above the sleeve 4. Then, the controller 6 controls the connecting rod to shorten along the central axis of the sleeve 4 so that the scraper holder 53 extends into the sleeve 4. The controller 6 controls the connecting rod to extend and retract radially in the sleeve 4 so that the scraper 54 abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve 4. Then, the controller 6 controls the scraper holder 53 to rotate around the central axis of the sleeve 4. In this way, the scraper 54 can scrape off the vapor-deposited material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve 4, thereby achieving the purpose of automatically removing the vapor-deposited material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve 4.

[0083] After the scraper 54 scrapes off the vapor-deposited material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve 4, the scraper 54 returns to its original position as follows: The controller 6 controls the connecting rod to extend along the central axis of the sleeve 4 so that the scraper holder 53 and the scraper 54 extend out of the sleeve 4. Then, the controller controls the connecting rod to shorten radially in the sleeve 4. Then, the controller continues to control the connecting rod to rotate so that the scraper 54 is located on the side of the connecting rod away from the sleeve 4. Finally, the controller controls the connecting rod to shorten along the central axis of the sleeve 4 to achieve the return operation of the scraper 54.

[0084] The above implementation process is carried out on the basis of the mounting plate 3 contacting the top surface of the vapor deposition source 1, wherein the state of the scraper assembly 5 is as follows: Figures 3A-6 As shown, the scraper assembly 5 is in operation as follows: Figure 3A As shown, move the scraper 54 away from the sleeve 4, and then move the scraper 54 above the sleeve 4. At this time, the scraper assembly 5 is in the following state. Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the scraper 54 is then controlled to extend into the sleeve 4 and abut against the inner wall of the sleeve 4. At this time, the state of the scraper assembly 5 is as follows. Figure 6 As shown.

[0085] Through the above implementation process, the vapor-deposited material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve 4 can be automatically removed without manual intervention. This not only reduces the workload of workers but also improves the efficiency of removing the vapor-deposited material from the inner wall of the sleeve 4. Furthermore, compared to the prior art where manual removal of the vapor-deposited material from the inner wall of the sleeve 4 is inefficient and causes excessive downtime of the vapor deposition equipment, affecting the coating efficiency of batches of substrates to be vapor-deposited, the automatic removal of the vapor-deposited material from the inner wall of the sleeve 4 in this embodiment improves the removal efficiency and eliminates the need to disassemble and install the vapor deposition equipment, significantly reducing downtime. In addition, compared to the prior art where a heating layer is set on the sleeve 4 to heat and evaporate the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4, causing the evaporated vapor-deposited gas to deposit on the nozzle 2 and block it, the present embodiment uses a scraper 54 to scrape off the vapor-deposited material from the inner wall of the sleeve 4. The scraped-off material falls in chunks around the nozzle 2, preventing it from depositing on the nozzle 2 and causing blockage.

[0086] It should be noted that the nozzle 2 has a certain height. That is, after the nozzle 2 is set on the top surface of the vapor deposition source 1, the outlet of the steam ejected from the nozzle 2 is higher than the top surface of the vapor deposition source 1. When the vapor deposition material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4 is scraped off by the scraper 54, the scraped vapor deposition material will fall in chunks next to the nozzle 2, that is, it will fall on the top surface of the vapor deposition source 1. It will not block the outlet of the steam ejected from the nozzle 2 and will not affect the normal steam ejection of the nozzle 2.

[0087] After the vapor deposition material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4 has been scraped off multiple times, a large amount of vapor deposition material accumulates on the top surface of the vapor deposition source 1 next to the nozzle 2. In order to prevent the vapor deposition material falling onto the top surface of the vapor deposition source 1 from covering the nozzle 2, the vapor deposition material accumulated on the top surface of the vapor deposition source 1 can be cleaned manually periodically. Although manual cleaning requires disassembling and installing the vapor deposition source 1, compared with the prior art of manually cleaning the vapor deposition material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4, this application can directly clean the vapor deposition material accumulated on the top surface of the vapor deposition source 1, which can shorten the downtime of the vapor deposition device and reduce the impact on the coating on the substrate to be coated.

[0088] In this embodiment, the orthographic projection of the clearance hole 31 on the top surface of the vapor deposition source 1 covers the orthographic projection of the nozzle 2 on the top surface of the vapor deposition source 1. That is, the orthographic projection area of ​​the clearance hole 31 on the top surface of the vapor deposition source 1 can be greater than or equal to the orthographic projection area of ​​the nozzle 2 on the top surface of the vapor deposition source 1. The orthographic projection of the sleeve 4 near the opening of the mounting plate 3 on the mounting plate 3 covers the clearance hole 31. That is, the orthographic projection of the sleeve 4 near the opening of the mounting plate 3 on the mounting plate 3 coincides with the clearance hole 31, or the area of ​​the orthographic projection of the sleeve 4 near the opening of the mounting plate 3 on the mounting plate 3 is greater than the area of ​​the clearance hole 31.

[0089] For example, in this embodiment, the orthographic projection area of ​​the clearance hole 31 on the top surface of the vapor deposition source 1 is larger than the orthographic projection area of ​​the nozzle 2 on the top surface of the vapor deposition source 1. The orthographic projection of the sleeve 4 near the mounting plate 3 on the mounting plate 3 coincides with the clearance hole 31. At this time, after the vapor deposition material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4 is scraped off by the scraper 54, it will all fall onto the top surface of the vapor deposition source 1 next to the nozzle 2, which is convenient for the staff to clean later. Moreover, the inner wall of the sleeve 4 is flush with the hole wall of the clearance hole 31, so that the steam ejected from the nozzle 2 can be ejected more smoothly and evenly from the opening of the sleeve 4.

[0090] As can be understood, vapor deposition is a process where, under vacuum conditions, a specific heating and evaporation method is used to evaporate the coating material and vaporize it, causing the particles to condense on the substrate surface and form a film. Vapor deposition materials are mainly divided into three categories: metallic and non-metallic particles, oxides, and fluorides. Metallic and non-metallic particles specifically include the following materials: aluminum, nickel, copper, silver, titanium, silicon, vanadium, magnesium, tin, chromium, indium, silver-copper, gold, microcrystalline silver powder, etc. Oxides specifically include the following materials: titanium-tantalum alloy, zirconium-titanium alloy, silicon-aluminum alloy, aluminum oxide, zirconium dioxide, titanium pentoxide, quartz rings, quartz sheets, erbium oxide, lanthanum titanate, etc. Fluorides specifically include the following materials: magnesium fluoride, dysprosium fluoride, lanthanum fluoride, etc. Vapor deposition materials can be applied in fields such as solar cells, flat panel displays, optical components, light-emitting diodes, and OLED lighting components.

[0091] In some embodiments, reference Figures 3A-6 The connecting rod includes a first support rod 51 and a second support rod 52. One end of the first support rod 51 is rotatably connected to the mounting plate 3, and the other end of the first support rod 51 is connected to the second support rod 52. The scraper holder 53 is rotatably connected to the end of the second support rod 52 away from the first support rod 51. The extension direction of the first support rod 51 is perpendicular to the mounting plate 3, and the first support rod 51 is telescopic. The extension direction of the second support rod 52 is perpendicular to the extension direction of the first support rod 51, and the second support rod 52 is telescopic.

[0092] With the above settings, the specific implementation process of the scraper 54 scraping off the vapor-deposited material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve 4 in this embodiment is as follows: the controller 6 controls the first connecting rod to extend along the central axis of the sleeve 4, and then controls the first connecting rod to rotate around the central axis of the sleeve 4 so that the scraper assembly 5 is located above the sleeve 4. Then, the controller 6 continues to control the second connecting rod to extend radially in the sleeve 4 so that the scraper assembly 5 is located directly above the sleeve 4. Then, the controller 6 controls the first connecting rod to shorten along the central axis of the sleeve 4 so that the scraper assembly 5 extends into the sleeve 4. The controller 6 controls the second connecting rod to extend and retract radially in the sleeve 4 so that the scraper 54 abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve 4. Then, the controller 6 controls the scraper holder 53 to rotate around the central axis of the sleeve 4. In this way, the scraper 54 can scrape off the vapor-deposited material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve 4, thereby achieving the purpose of automatically removing the vapor-deposited material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve 4.

[0093] After the scraper 54 scrapes off the vapor-deposited material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve 4, the scraper 54 returns to its original position as follows: The controller 6 controls the first connecting rod to extend along the central axis of the sleeve 4 so that the scraper assembly 5 and the scraper 54 extend out of the sleeve 4. Then, the controller controls the second connecting rod to shorten radially in the sleeve 4. Then, the controller continues to control the first connecting rod to rotate around the central axis of the sleeve 4 so that the scraper 54 is located on the side of the first connecting rod away from the sleeve 4. Finally, the controller controls the first connecting rod to shorten along the central axis of the sleeve 4 to achieve the return operation of the scraper 54.

[0094] It should be noted that both the first and second connecting rods are cylindrical, and can be either cylindrical or prismatic; this embodiment does not impose a specific limitation. The first connecting rod is perpendicular to the mounting plate 3, and the first and second connecting rods are perpendicular to each other. The first and second connecting rods can be fixedly connected together or movably detached and connected together; the specific connection method can be selected according to the actual situation. The first connecting rod can extend and retract along the central axis of the sleeve 4, and the second connecting rod can extend and retract radially along the sleeve 4. By connecting both the first and second connecting rods to the controller 6, the extension and retraction of the first and second connecting rods can be controlled by the controller 6, thereby automating the process of the scraper 54 extending into or out of the sleeve 4 and improving the efficiency of removing the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4.

[0095] In some embodiments, reference Figure 3A The scraper holder 53 is located on the side of the second support rod 52 near the mounting plate 3; optionally, the scraper holder 53 is a columnar body, and the side of the scraper 54 away from the scraper holder 53 is parallel to the central axis of the scraper holder 53; the sleeve 4 is cylindrical, and the distance between the central axis of the scraper holder 53 and the side of the scraper 54 away from the scraper holder 53 is equal to half the inner diameter of the sleeve 4.

[0096] The central axis of the scraper holder 53 is... Figure 3B The dashed line drawn on the scraper holder 53 indicates the distance between the central axis of the scraper holder 53 and the side edge of the scraper 54 away from the scraper holder 53. Figure 3B The designation is D, and half of the inner diameter of sleeve 4 (i.e., the diameter of the inner circle of sleeve 4) is... Figure 3B The symbol R represents the radius of the inner circle of sleeve 4.

[0097] The scraper holder 53 is cylindrical, and the scraper holder 53, the first connecting rod, and the second connecting rod can all be made of the same material and have the same shape. The scraper 54 can be square, with its two opposite sides being the back of the blade and the cutting edge, respectively. The back of the scraper 54 is connected to the scraper holder 53, and the cutting edge of the scraper 54 is parallel to the central axis of the scraper holder 53. When the sleeve 4 is cylindrical, the cutting edge of the scraper 54 is also parallel to the central axis of the sleeve 4, so that the cutting edge of the scraper 54 can be fully in contact with the inner wall of the sleeve 4. This makes the scraper 54 more effective at scraping off the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4, and allows the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4 to be scraped off more cleanly.

[0098] It should be noted that the distance between the central axis of the scraper holder 53 and the side of the scraper 54 away from the scraper holder 53 is set to be equal to half the inner diameter of the sleeve 4. When the scraper 54 abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve 4, the central axis of the scraper holder 53 coincides with the central axis of the sleeve 4. At this time, by controlling the scraper holder 53 to rotate around the central axis of the sleeve 4 through the controller 6, the scraper 54 can always abut against the inner wall of the sleeve 4 to scrape off the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4. This not only improves the efficiency of scraping off the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4, but also makes the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4 more thoroughly scraped off.

[0099] Furthermore, since the inner wall of the sleeve 4 is coated with vapor-deposited material, when the scraper 54 comes into contact with the inner wall of the sleeve 4, it will first come into contact with the vapor-deposited material, and then the scraper 54 will be inserted into the vapor-deposited material and come into contact with the inner wall of the sleeve 4. Setting the distance between the central axis of the scraper holder 53 and the side of the scraper 54 away from the scraper holder 53 is equal to half the inner diameter of the sleeve 4, so that the scraper 54 can just come into contact with the inner wall of the sleeve 4. This will prevent the scraper 54 from not being able to come into contact with the inner wall of the sleeve 4, which would result in the scraper 54 only scraping off a portion of the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4. It will also prevent the scraper 54 from coming into contact with the inner wall of the sleeve 4, but the central axis of the scraper holder 53 cannot be aligned with the central axis of the sleeve 4, which would result in the scraper 54 only scraping off a portion of the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4 after the scraper holder 53 rotates one revolution.

[0100] In this embodiment, by controlling the extension and retraction of the second support rod 52 by the controller 6, the central axis of the scraper holder 53 can be made to coincide with the central axis of the sleeve 4, and the scraper 54 can abut against the inner wall of the sleeve 4. Therefore, the extension and retraction of the second support rod 52 is particularly important.

[0101] In some embodiments, refer to Figure 3- Figure 6 The first support rod 51 is equipped with a distance measuring device 7, which is used to measure the distance between the first support rod 51 and the scraper frame 53; the distance measuring device 7 is electrically connected to the controller 6.

[0102] It should be noted that since the position of the first support rod 51 connected to the mounting plate 3 is fixed, and the inner diameter of the sleeve 4 is also fixed, that is, the distance between the central axis of the first support rod 51 and the sleeve 4 is fixed, when the scraper assembly 5 is working, the distance measuring device 7 can measure the distance between the first support rod 51 and the scraper holder 53 and transmit the measured information to the controller 6. The controller 6 will determine the distance between the central axis of the scraper holder 53 and the central axis of the sleeve 4 based on the distance information between the first support rod 51 and the scraper holder 53, thereby obtaining the extension amount of the second support rod 52, so as to accurately control the extension of the second support rod 52 according to the obtained extension amount, thereby ensuring that the central axis of the scraper holder 53 coincides with the central axis of the sleeve 4, and the scraper 54 abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve 4.

[0103] Optionally, in some embodiments, the ranging device 7 is located at the end of the first support rod 51 near the second support rod 52. This ensures that the ranging device 7 can accurately measure the distance between the first support rod 51 and the scraper holder 53 regardless of the scraper assembly 5's position.

[0104] Among them, reference Figure 4 The ranging device 7 can measure the distance between the first support rod 51 and the scraper rod 53 after the scraper rod holder 53 extends into the sleeve 4. Thus, when the second support rod 52 extends or retracts, the scraper 54 only needs to be inserted from the surface of the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4 until it abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve 4. (Reference) Figure 5 The distance measuring device 7 can also measure the distance between the first support rod 51 and the scraper frame 53 when the scraper frame 53 is above the sleeve 4. After the second support rod 52 extends and retracts, the central axis of the scraper frame 53 will coincide with the central axis of the sleeve 4. Then, the first support rod 51 is shortened, and the scraper frame 53 will drive the scraper 54 to extend into the sleeve 4. At this time, the side of the scraper 54 between the back of the blade and the cutting edge will be inserted into the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4, and the cutting edge of the scraper 54 will directly abut against the inner wall of the sleeve 4.

[0105] In some embodiments, reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 When the first support rod 51 is in the extended state, both the scraper holder 53 and the scraper 54 are higher than the sleeve 4. This ensures that the scraper holder 53 and the scraper 54 can extend into the sleeve 4 from the side of the sleeve 4 away from the mounting plate 3.

[0106] Optionally, when the first support rod 51 is in the retracted state and the second support rod 52 is in the extended state, both the scraper holder 53 and the scraper 54 extend into the sleeve 4. This ensures that the scraper 54 remains in contact with the inner wall of the sleeve 4 after it extends into the sleeve 4, thereby enabling the scraper 54 to better scrape off the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4.

[0107] It should be noted that the first support rod 51 in the extended state refers to the state when the first support rod 51 is extended to its maximum extent, at which time the length of the first support rod 51 is its maximum length; the first support rod 51 in the retracted state refers to the state in which the length of the first support rod 51 is reduced compared to its maximum length when it is in the extended state; the second support rod 52 in the extended state can mean that the length of the second support rod 52 is its maximum length, or it can mean that the length of the second support rod 52 has become longer compared to its length in its initial unextended state.

[0108] In some embodiments, along the central axis of the sleeve 4, the side of the scraper 54 away from the second support rod 52 protrudes from the side of the scraper holder 53 away from the second support rod 52. In this way, after the scraper 54 and the scraper holder 53 are inserted into the sleeve 4 together, when the scraper 54 abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve 4, the scraper holder 53 will not contact the nozzle 2 and will not damage the nozzle.

[0109] In some embodiments, reference Figure 7 An elastic connecting component is connected between the scraper 54 and the scraper holder 53. The elastic connecting component is used to generate an elastic force and apply it to the scraper 54 so that the scraper 54 abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve 4.

[0110] The elastic connection assembly includes a first connecting plate 55, a second connecting plate 56, an elastic element 57 connected between the first connecting plate 55 and the second connecting plate 56, and a pressure sensor 58. The first connecting plate 55 is connected to the scraper holder 53, the pressure sensor 58 is disposed on the surface of the first connecting plate 55 facing away from the elastic element 57, and the pressure sensor 58 abuts against the scraper holder 53. The scraper 54 is connected to the second connecting plate 56.

[0111] It should be noted that since the scraper 54 is pressed against the inner wall of the sleeve 4 and then rotated to scrape off the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4, in order for the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4 to be scraped off more thoroughly and cleanly, the scraper 54 needs to be pressed tightly against the inner wall of the sleeve 4 throughout the process. Therefore, in this embodiment, an elastic connecting component is connected between the scraper 54 and the scraper holder 53. When the scraper 54 is pressed against the inner wall of the sleeve 4, it will apply pressure to the elastic element 57, so that the elastic element 57 will generate an elastic force that reacts on the scraper 54. In this way, the scraper 54 will be pressed against the inner wall of the sleeve 4 by the elastic force generated by the elastic element 57 during the rotation process, thereby ensuring that the scraper 54 can always be pressed against the inner wall of the sleeve 4, so that the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4 is scraped off more thoroughly and cleanly, and the removal effect of the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4 is better.

[0112] The elastic element 57 can be a spring. Of course, in order to make the elastic force generated by the elastic element 57 evenly applied to the scraper 54, the number of elastic elements 57 can be set to multiple, and the multiple elastic elements 57 are evenly distributed between the first connecting plate 55 and the second connecting plate 56. In this way, the elastic force on different positions of the scraper 54 can be uniform, which is beneficial for the scraper 54 to better scrape off the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4.

[0113] In some embodiments, reference Figure 6 The length of the side of the scraper 54 away from the scraper holder 53 is greater than or equal to the distance between the nozzle 2 and the sleeve 4 on the side away from the mounting plate 3.

[0114] Among them, the length of the side of the scraper 54 away from the scraper holder 53 is Figure 6 The distance between nozzle 2 and the sleeve 4 on the side furthest from mounting plate 3, marked as A, is... Figure 6 The correct designation is B.

[0115] It should be noted that since nozzle 2 is located inside sleeve 4 and nozzle 2 has a certain height, the thickness of the vapor-deposited material deposited at different locations on the inner wall of sleeve 4 is not the same. In particular, the thickness of the vapor-deposited material on the side of the inner wall of sleeve 4 closer to nozzle 2 is less than the thickness of the vapor-deposited material on the side of the inner wall of sleeve 4 farther from nozzle 2. Moreover, when nozzle 2 sprays steam upwards, the part that limits the angle range of the steam sprayed by nozzle 2 is mainly the part on the inner wall of sleeve 4 between the position opposite to the opening of the steam sprayed by nozzle 2 and the opening of the sleeve 4 on the side of sleeve 4 away from mounting plate 3. Therefore, as long as the vapor-deposited material in this part is scraped off, the angle range of the steam sprayed by nozzle 2 will not be reduced.

[0116] In this embodiment, the length A of the side of the scraper 54 away from the scraper holder 53 is set to be greater than or equal to the distance B between the nozzle 2 and the cylinder opening of the sleeve 4 away from the mounting plate 3. In this way, when the scraper 54 is inserted into the sleeve 4, the side of the scraper 54 away from the scraper holder 53 abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve 4. Rotating the scraper 54 one revolution can scrape off at least the portion of the vapor-deposited material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve 4 between the position opposite to the opening from which the steam is ejected from the nozzle 2 and the cylinder opening of the sleeve 4 away from the mounting plate 3. This ensures that the angle range of the steam ejected from the nozzle 2 is not affected by the vapor-deposited material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve 4.

[0117] Of course, even if the length of the side of the scraper 54 away from the scraper holder 53 is set to be greater than the distance between the nozzle 2 and the sleeve 4 away from the mounting plate 3, since the scraper 54 scrapes off the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4 during the rotation around the central axis of the sleeve 4, in order to avoid the scraper 54 damaging the nozzle 2 during the rotation, the depth to which the scraper 54 extends into the sleeve 4 can only be consistent with the distance between the nozzle 2 and the sleeve 4 away from the mounting plate 3. At this time, the scraper 54 is located above the nozzle 2, and the scraper 54 will not contact the nozzle 2 during the rotation, so it will not damage the nozzle 2.

[0118] In some embodiments, reference Figure 8 The vapor deposition apparatus also includes a moving device 8, which is connected to the mounting plate 3 and is used to drive the mounting plate 3 to move along the central axis of the sleeve 4; optionally, the moving device 8 is electrically connected to the controller 6.

[0119] It should be noted that after the moving device 8 is set in the embodiment of this application, the moving device 8 can be controlled by the controller 6 to drive the mounting plate 3 to move along the central axis of the sleeve 4. Since the sleeve 4 and the scraper assembly 5 are both connected to the mounting plate 3, the mounting plate 3 will drive the sleeve 4 and the scraper assembly 5 to move together along the central axis of the sleeve 4 while moving along the central axis of the sleeve 4.

[0120] When the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4 needs to be scraped off, the moving device 8 can be controlled to move the mounting plate 3 along the central axis of the sleeve 4, so that the mounting plate 3 moves the sleeve 4 and the scraper assembly 5 away from the vapor deposition source 1. Then, the scraper assembly 5 is controlled to remove the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4. This ensures that the scraper 54 will not contact the nozzle 2 when rotating, thus preventing damage to the nozzle 2. At the same time, the scraper 54 can remove all the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4, rather than just removing the vapor-deposited material deposited on the part of the inner wall of the sleeve 4 between the opening of the nozzle 2 and the side of the sleeve 4 away from the mounting plate 3. This greatly improves the removal effect of the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4, making the removal of the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4 cleaner and more thorough.

[0121] After the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4 is completely removed, the moving device 8 can be controlled to move the mounting plate 3 along the central axis of the sleeve 4, so that the mounting plate 3 moves the sleeve 4 and the scraper assembly 5 closer to the vapor deposition source 1. It should be noted that since the scraper 54 scrapes off the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4 only after the mounting plate 3 moves away from the vapor deposition source 1, the scraped vapor-deposited material will fall on the top surface of the vapor deposition source 1 next to the nozzle 2. When the moving device 8 moves the mounting plate 3 closer to the vapor deposition source 1 again, the mounting plate 3 can no longer keep in close contact with the top surface of the vapor deposition source 1, but is in close contact with the vapor-deposited material that has fallen on the top surface of the vapor deposition source 1. However, since the thickness of the vapor-deposited material that has fallen on the top surface of the vapor deposition source 1 will not be greater than the height of the nozzle 2, even if the mounting plate 3 cannot be in close contact with the top surface of the vapor deposition source 1, it will not affect the limitation of the angle range of the vapor ejected by the sleeve 4 from the nozzle 2.

[0122] It is understood that when the vapor deposition apparatus of this application embodiment is not equipped with the moving device 8, the controller 6 only needs to control the scraper assembly 5. In this case, the controller 6 can be embedded in the mounting plate 3, or it can be set separately on the mounting plate 3, or it can be set separately on the vapor deposition source 1. However, when the vapor deposition apparatus of this application embodiment is equipped with the moving device 8, the controller 6 needs to control not only the scraper assembly 5, but also the moving device 8. Therefore, the controller 6 needs to be set separately. As for whether the controller 6 is placed on the vapor deposition source 1 or on the mounting plate 3, it can be selected according to the actual situation when assembling the vapor deposition apparatus. This application embodiment does not make specific limitations.

[0123] In some embodiments, reference Figure 7 The vapor deposition apparatus also includes a heating device 530 for heating the scraper 54 when the scraper 54 is located outside the sleeve 4.

[0124] Optionally, the scraper holder 53 has a hollow structure; a heating device 530 is provided inside the scraper holder 53, which is used to heat the scraper 54 when the scraper holder 53 is outside the sleeve 4.

[0125] It should be noted that after the scraper 54 scrapes the vapor-deposited material from the inner wall of the sleeve 4, some vapor-deposited material will inevitably remain on the scraper 54. To avoid affecting the scraper 54's next scraping of the vapor-deposited material from the inner wall of the sleeve 4, the scraper holder 53 can be heated by the heating device 530 when the scraper 54 returns to its original position after scraping the vapor-deposited material from the inner wall of the sleeve 4. The heat from the scraper holder 53 will then be transferred to the scraper 54, thus evaporating the residual vapor-deposited material on the scraper 54. Because the distance between the scraper 54 and the nozzle 2 is relatively large, the steam generated when the residual vapor-deposited material on the scraper 54 is heated and evaporated will not accumulate on the nozzle 2 and clog it.

[0126] Optionally, the heating device 530 is used to heat the scraper 54 when the scraper holder 53 is located outside the sleeve 4 and the first support rod 51 is in the retracted state. At this time, the scraper holder 53 is not above the sleeve 4, and the orthographic projections of the scraper 54 and the scraper holder 53 on the mounting plate 3 are outside the orthographic projection of the sleeve 4 on the mounting plate 3. By heating the scraper holder 53 with the heating device 530 and transferring the heat to the scraper 54, the residual vapor-deposited material on the scraper 54 can be heated and evaporated. Since the opening of the sleeve 4 faces upward, and the steam generated by the heating of the vapor-deposited material on the scraper 54 also flows upward, when the scraper 54 and the sleeve 4 are arranged side by side, the steam generated when heating the scraper 54 will not deposit on the nozzle 2 and cause nozzle blockage.

[0127] Optionally, the heating device 530 is used to heat the scraper 54 when the scraper holder 53 is located outside the sleeve 4, and the first support rod 51 and the second support rod 52 are in the retracted state. At this time, the scraper holder 53 is not above the sleeve 4, and the orthographic projections of the scraper 54 and the scraper holder 53 on the mounting plate 3 are outside the orthographic projection of the sleeve 4 on the mounting plate 3. The distance between the scraper holder 53 and the sleeve 4 is relatively large. Figure 3A or Figure 3B As shown, this allows for a greater distance between the scraper 54 and the nozzle 2. When the heating device 530 heats the scraper holder 53 and transfers the heat to the scraper 54, evaporating the residual vapor-deposited material on the scraper 54, the steam generated by the heating of the vapor-deposited material on the scraper 54, due to the upward orientation of the sleeve 4 and the upward flow of the steam generated by the heating of the vapor-deposited material on the scraper 54, will not deposit on the nozzle 2 and block it.

[0128] Optionally, the heating device 530 is electrically connected to the controller 6. This allows the controller 6 to control the heating device 530 to automatically heat the scraper holder 53. When the controller 6 controls the linkage to extend, retract, and rotate to return the scraper 54 to its initial position, the controller 6 automatically controls the heating device 530 to heat the scraper holder 53, transferring heat to the scraper 54 to evaporate the vapor-deposited material on it. This effectively removes any residual vapor-deposited material from the scraper 54, allowing the scraper 54 to better scrape off the vapor-deposited material from the inner wall of the sleeve 4 in the next pass.

[0129] It is understandable that the heat on the scraper 54 is transferred through the scraper holder 53. Therefore, both the scraper 54 and the scraper holder 53 can be made of materials including metal. Since metal has strong thermal conductivity, the heat from the scraper holder 53 can be transferred to the scraper 54 more quickly.

[0130] For example, the scraper 54 and scraper holder 53 can be made of metal materials, which allows the heat from the scraper holder 53 to be transferred to the scraper 54 more quickly.

[0131] The residual vapor-deposited material on the scraper 54 can be removed by heating and evaporating after each scraper 54 has scraped the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4, or it can be removed by heating and evaporating after the scraper 54 has scraped the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4 multiple times. Specifically, the choice of whether to heat and evaporate the scraper 54 to remove the residual vapor-deposited material depends on the amount of residual vapor-deposited material on the scraper 54, as long as it is ensured that the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4 can be effectively scraped off by the scraper 54.

[0132] In some embodiments, reference Figure 1 There are multiple sleeves 4 and multiple scraper assemblies 5, with each scraper assembly 5 corresponding to one sleeve 4. This is equivalent to each sleeve 4 being equipped with a scraper assembly 5. Multiple scraper assemblies 5 can be controlled uniformly by a controller 6, thereby enabling the simultaneous scraping of the vapor-deposited material on the inner walls of multiple sleeves 4, greatly improving the removal efficiency of the vapor-deposited material on the inner walls of the sleeves 4 in the vapor deposition apparatus.

[0133] It should be noted that the scraper assembly 5 corresponding to each sleeve 4 has the same structure, and the scraper assembly 5 corresponding to each sleeve 4 is positioned on the mounting plate 3 relative to the sleeve 4. This allows for simultaneous control of multiple scraper assemblies 5, enabling the scraper 54 of each scraper assembly 5 to accurately extend into the corresponding sleeve 4 and abut against the inner wall of the sleeve 4 to scrape off the vapor-deposited material on the inner wall of the sleeve 4.

[0134] The vapor deposition apparatus of this application embodiment can be applied to the fabrication of display panels. For example, the vapor deposition apparatus of this application embodiment can be used to vapor deposit luminescent materials or cathode materials to form the luminescent layer and cathode layer of the display panel.

[0135] In traditional display panel manufacturing, a fine metal mask (FMM) is typically used to pattern the light-emitting pixels. FMM technology is mature and has extensive mass production experience. However, FMM technology also suffers from limitations in precision, high development costs, and long development cycles. Fine metal mask-less technology eliminates the limitations of traditional OLED processes on display size, resolution, and other screen performance characteristics, offering advantages such as high performance, full-size display, and agile delivery. Patents CN118251982A, CN115666161A, CN116648095A, CN117062489A, CN118678742A, CN118785761A, CN115224220A, CN118678729A, CN118660529A, and CN118660589A describe the relevant content of fine metal mask-less technology and isolation structures (or isolation pillars or partition structures) for reference.

[0136] like Figure 9A As shown, in some optional embodiments, the display panel 20 may include an isolation structure 22, which includes a first layer 22a and a second layer 22b located on the side of the first layer 22a facing away from the substrate 21. The orthographic projection of the first layer 22a onto the substrate 21 is located within the orthographic projection of the second layer 22b onto the substrate 21.

[0137] In these optional embodiments, the isolation structure 22 includes a first layer 22a and a second layer 22b located on the side of the first layer 22a facing away from the substrate 21. The first layer 22a and the second layer 22b are stacked to form the isolation structure 22. The projection of the first layer 22a, which is close to the substrate 21, onto the substrate 21 is within the projection of the second layer 22b onto the substrate 21. The area of ​​the second layer 22b is larger than the area of ​​the first layer 22a. The second layer 22b covers the surface of the first layer 22a that is close to the second layer 22b. At this time, the first layer 22a is recessed relative to the second layer 22b in a direction away from the isolation opening 22d. When fabricating the light-emitting material, electrode material, and encapsulation material, a large drop occurs at the edge of the isolation structure 22, and the first layer 22a is recessed relative to the second layer 22b. The light-emitting material, electrode material, and encapsulation material are difficult to connect at the edge of the isolation structure 22, resulting in breakage. The fabrication does not require the use of a precision mask, which can reduce the development and use of precision masks and reduce the fabrication cost.

[0138] Optionally, the first layer 22a includes a conductive material, such as a non-metallic conductive material or a metallic conductive material.

[0139] In some alternative embodiments, the second layer 22b comprises a conductive material or an insulating material.

[0140] In these alternative embodiments, the second layer 22b comprises a conductive material, such as a non-metallic conductive material or a metallic conductive material. When the second layer 22b is a non-metallic conductive material or an insulating material, it is difficult to etch the second layer 22b during the wet etching process of the first layer 22a with an etching solution, thereby making it easier for the first layer 22a to be recessed relative to the second layer 22b.

[0141] In some alternative embodiments, both the first layer 22a and the second layer 22b comprise metallic materials, and the materials of the first layer 22a and the second layer 22b are different.

[0142] In these optional embodiments, when both the first layer 22a and the second layer 22b are made of metallic materials, the first layer 22a can be wet-etched using an etching solution. By adjusting the etching solution, the etching rate of the second layer 22b can be made lower than that of the first layer 22a. Because the etching rate of the first layer 22a is higher, even if the second layer 22b is etched to some extent during wet etching, the first layer 22a is etched faster, resulting in the first layer 22a being recessed relative to the second layer 22b.

[0143] like Figure 9B As shown, in some optional embodiments, the isolation structure 22 further includes a third layer 22c located on the side of the first layer 22a facing the substrate 21, wherein the orthographic projection of the first layer 22a onto the substrate 21 is within the orthographic projection of the third layer 22c onto the substrate 21.

[0144] In these optional embodiments, to obtain the recessed first layer 22a, the etching rate of the first layer 22a is faster than that of the second layer 22b and the third layer 22c during the etching process, thus forming the recessed first layer 22a. Because the etching rate of the first layer 22a is faster, more etching waste is generated and can easily enter other parts of the display panel 20, causing adverse effects. After the third layer 22c is formed, the first layer 22a can adhere better to the third layer 22c, and the etching waste falls onto the third layer 22c, making it easier to clean.

[0145] Optionally, before the steps of fabricating the first light-emitting material layer, the first electrode 24a material layer, and the first encapsulation material layer on the substrate 21, the method further includes:

[0146] A pixel definition material layer is fabricated on substrate 21;

[0147] A fifth photoresist layer is prepared on the side of the pixel definition material layer facing away from the substrate 21;

[0148] The fifth photoresist layer is exposed and developed to form the fifth opening;

[0149] The isolation material layer is patterned through the fifth opening to form a pixel definition layer 25, which includes a pixel defining portion 25a and a pixel opening 25b formed by the pixel defining portion 25a.

[0150] In these optional embodiments, the pixel defining portion 25a of the pixel defining layer 25 encloses a pixel opening 25b to house the light-emitting unit 23a, enabling the light-emitting unit 23a to emit light normally. Furthermore, the pixel defining portion 25a defines the area where each light-emitting unit 23a is located, reducing color crosstalk between the light-emitting units 23a. In this embodiment, the functional material layer includes a pixel defining material layer, the functional film layer includes the pixel defining layer 25, and the photoresist layer includes a fifth photoresist layer. In the photolithography process of the fifth photoresist layer in this embodiment, when the fifth photoresist layer needs to be baked or cooled, the display panel 20 coated with the fifth photoresist layer can be placed in a coating and developing machine for heating or cooling.

[0151] Optionally, pixel aperture 25b and isolation aperture 22d are connected.

[0152] Optionally, the material of the pixel limiting part 25a may include inorganic or organic materials.

[0153] Optionally, the display panel 20 includes: a light-emitting layer 23 located on one side of the substrate 21, the light-emitting layer 23 including a plurality of light-emitting units 23a located within a plurality of isolation openings 22d; and a first electrode layer 24 located on the side of the light-emitting layer 23 facing away from the substrate 21, the first electrode layer 24 including a plurality of first electrodes 24a located within a plurality of isolation openings 22d, the first electrodes 24a being electrically connected to the isolation structure 22 to form a full-surface electrode. Optionally, the light-emitting unit 23a includes a first light-emitting unit, a second light-emitting unit, and a third light-emitting unit. Optionally, the first electrode 24a includes a first sub-electrode, a second sub-electrode, and a third sub-electrode.

[0154] Optionally, the display panel 20 further includes a second electrode 25c located between the substrate 21 and the light-emitting unit 23a. At least a portion of the second electrode 25c is exposed through the pixel opening 25b to serve as an electrode for the light-emitting unit 23a, driving the light-emitting unit 23a to emit light. One of the first electrode 24a and the second electrode 25c serves as the anode of the light-emitting unit 23a, and the other serves as the cathode of the light-emitting unit 23a. This embodiment of the application illustrates the example by using the first electrode 24a as the cathode of the light-emitting unit 23a and the second electrode 25c as the anode of the light-emitting unit 23a.

[0155] There are many other ways to arrange the substrate 21. For example, the substrate 21 may include a substrate and an array substrate disposed on the substrate. Alternatively, the substrate 21 may be the substrate itself. Or the substrate 21 may include a buffer layer and a support plate on the side facing away from the substrate.

[0156] Optionally, the display panel 20 may further include a first encapsulation layer 26, which is located on the side of the first electrode layer 24 away from the substrate 21, and is used to encapsulate the first electrode 24a and the light-emitting unit 23a.

[0157] Optionally, the first encapsulation layer 26 includes a plurality of spaced encapsulation portions 26a, at least a portion of which is located within the isolation opening 22d. Optionally, the encapsulation portion 26a includes a first encapsulation portion, a second encapsulation portion, and a third encapsulation portion.

[0158] Optionally, the material of the first encapsulation layer 26 may include inorganic materials.

[0159] Optionally, the light-emitting layer 23 includes at least one of the following: an electron injection layer (EIL), an electron transport layer (ETL), a light-emitting material layer, a hole injection layer (HIL), and a hole transport layer (HTL), but does not include structures such as the first electrode 24a and the second electrode 25c.

[0160] The structural design in this embodiment can be applied to other display panels 20. The specific choice can be made according to the actual situation, and this application does not impose any specific restrictions on it.

[0161] refer to Figure 10 This application also provides a cleaning method for cleaning the sleeve of the vapor deposition apparatus as described in any of the above embodiments, comprising the following steps:

[0162] S101, The controller controls the linkage to rotate and extend, so that the scraper holder and scraper extend into the sleeve, and the scraper abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve;

[0163] S102. The controller controls the scraper holder to rotate around the central axis of the sleeve so that the scraper scrapes off the vapor-deposited material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve.

[0164] Further reference Figure 11 The above step S101 may specifically include the following steps:

[0165] S1011, The controller controls the first support rod to extend and rotate; for example, the controller controls the first support rod to extend, and then the controller controls the first support rod to rotate.

[0166] S1012, The controller controls the extension of the second support rod so that the scraper holder and scraper are located on the side of the sleeve away from the mounting plate;

[0167] S1013, The controller controls the first support rod to retract so that the scraper holder and scraper extend into the sleeve, and the scraper abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve.

[0168] refer to Figure 12 This application also provides a cleaning method, including the following steps:

[0169] S201, The controller controls the extension and rotation of the first support rod; for example, the controller controls the extension of the first support rod, and then the controller controls the rotation of the first support rod so that the scraper holder, the scraper, and the second support rod are located on the side of the first support rod closer to the sleeve;

[0170] S202, The controller controls the extension of the second support rod so that the scraper holder and scraper are located on the side of the sleeve away from the mounting plate;

[0171] S203, The controller controls the first support rod to retract so that the scraper holder and scraper extend into the sleeve, and the scraper abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve;

[0172] S204. The controller controls the scraper holder to rotate around the central axis of the sleeve so that the scraper scrapes off the vapor-deposited material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve.

[0173] S205, The controller controls the extension of the first support rod so that the scraper holder and scraper are located on the side of the sleeve away from the mounting plate;

[0174] S206, The controller controls the retraction of the second support rod;

[0175] S207, the controller controls the first support rod to rotate and retract, so that the orthographic projections of the scraper holder and scraper on the mounting plate are outside the orthographic projections of the sleeve on the mounting plate; for example, the controller controls the first support rod to rotate so that the orthographic projections of the scraper holder and scraper on the mounting plate are outside the orthographic projections of the sleeve on the mounting plate, so that the scraper holder, scraper, and second support rod are located on the side of the first support rod away from the sleeve. Then, the controller controls the first support rod to retract; the scraper assembly returns to the initial position. In the initial position, the distance between the scraper and the mounting plate along the first direction is less than the height of the sleeve along the first direction. The first direction may be parallel to the extension direction of the first support rod.

[0176] S208. The heating device heats the scraper located outside the sleeve. The scraper holder 53 is heated by the heating device 530, thereby transferring heat from the scraper holder 53 to the scraper 54, evaporating any residual vapor-deposited material on the scraper 54. Because the scraper 54 is located outside the sleeve, the distance between the scraper 54 and the nozzle 2 is relatively large, so the steam generated during the evaporation of the residual vapor-deposited material on the scraper 54 will not deposit on the nozzle 2 and clog it.

[0177] Optionally, the controller controls the rotation of the first support rod, then the heating device heats the scraper located outside the sleeve, and then the controller controls the retraction of the first support rod. The sequence of each step can be adjusted as needed.

[0178] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A vapor deposition apparatus, characterized in that, include: A vapor deposition source includes a accommodating cavity and a heating element. The accommodating cavity stores vapor deposition material, and the heating element is used to heat the vapor deposition material to generate steam. The top surface of the vapor deposition source is provided with an evaporation hole communicating with the accommodating cavity. A nozzle is provided at the evaporation hole, and the nozzle is used to spray steam out of the accommodating cavity; The mounting plate has clearance holes, the mounting plate is disposed on the top surface of the vapor deposition source, and the nozzle is located in the clearance holes; A sleeve is provided on the mounting plate, and the orthographic projection of the sleeve's opening near the mounting plate covers the clearance hole on the mounting plate. A scraper assembly includes a telescopic link, a scraper holder connected to the link, and a scraper mounted on the scraper holder, wherein the link is rotatably connected to the mounting plate; A controller is used to control the extension, retraction, and rotation of the connecting rod so that the scraper extends into the sleeve to scrape off the vapor-deposited material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve.

2. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The scraper holder is rotatably connected to the connecting rod; The scraper holder is electrically connected to the controller, which controls the extension, retraction, and rotation of the connecting rod, as well as the rotation of the scraper holder around the central axis of the sleeve, so that the scraper extends into the sleeve to scrape off the vapor-deposited material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve.

3. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The connecting rod includes a first support rod and a second support rod. One end of the first support rod is rotatably connected to the mounting plate, and the other end of the first support rod is connected to the second support rod. The scraper frame is rotatably connected to the end of the second support rod away from the first support rod. The first support rod extends perpendicularly to the mounting plate, and the first support rod is telescopic. The extension direction of the second support rod is perpendicular to the extension direction of the first support rod, and the second support rod is telescopic.

4. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, The scraper holder is located on the side of the second support rod near the mounting plate; Preferably, the scraper holder is a columnar body, and the side of the scraper away from the scraper holder is parallel to the central axis of the scraper holder; The sleeve is cylindrical, and the distance between the central axis of the scraper holder and the side of the scraper away from the scraper holder is equal to half the inner diameter of the sleeve.

5. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first support rod is equipped with a distance measuring device, which is used to measure the distance between the first support rod and the scraper frame; The ranging device is electrically connected to the controller; Preferably, the ranging device is located at the end of the first support rod near the second support rod.

6. The vapor deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 3-5, characterized in that, When the first support rod is in the extended state, both the scraper holder and the scraper are higher than the sleeve; Preferably, when the first support rod is in the retracted state and the second support rod is in the extended state, both the scraper holder and the scraper extend into the sleeve.

7. The vapor deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, An elastic connecting component is connected between the scraper and the scraper holder. The elastic connecting component is used to generate an elastic force and apply it to the scraper so that the scraper abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve.

8. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that, The elastic connection assembly includes a first connecting plate, a second connecting plate, an elastic element connecting the first connecting plate and the second connecting plate, and a pressure sensor; The first connecting plate is connected to the scraper holder, the pressure sensor is disposed on the side surface of the first connecting plate facing away from the elastic member, and the pressure sensor abuts against the scraper holder, and the scraper is connected to the second connecting plate; Preferably, there are multiple elastic elements, which are evenly distributed between the first connecting plate and the second connecting plate.

9. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The length of the side of the scraper away from the scraper holder is greater than or equal to the distance between the nozzle and the sleeve opening away from the mounting plate; And / or, along the central axis of the sleeve, the side of the scraper away from the second support rod protrudes from the side of the scraper holder away from the second support rod.

10. The vapor deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, Also includes: A movable device is connected to the mounting plate, and the movable device is used to drive the mounting plate to move along the central axis of the sleeve. Preferably, the mobile device is electrically connected to the controller.

11. The vapor deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, It also includes a heating device for heating the scraper when the scraper is located outside the sleeve; Preferably, the scraper holder has a hollow structure; The scraper holder is equipped with a heating device, which is used to heat the scraper when the scraper holder is located outside the sleeve; Optionally, the heating device is used to heat the scraper when the scraper holder is located outside the sleeve and the first support rod is in the retracted state; Optionally, the heating device is used to heat the scraper when the scraper holder is located outside the sleeve and when the first support rod is in the retracted state and the second support rod is in the retracted state; Optionally, the heating device is electrically connected to the controller.

12. The vapor deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, Both the scraper holder and the scraper are made of metal.

13. The vapor deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, There are multiple sleeves and multiple scraper assemblies, with each scraper assembly corresponding to one of the multiple sleeves.

14. A cleaning method, characterized in that, Cleaning the sleeve in the vapor deposition apparatus as described in any one of claims 11-13 includes the following steps: The controller controls the linkage to rotate and extend, so that the scraper holder and scraper extend into the sleeve, and the scraper abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve; The controller controls the scraper holder to rotate around the central axis of the sleeve, so that the scraper scrapes off the vapor-deposited material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve.

15. The cleaning method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The controller controls the linkage to rotate and extend, so that the scraper holder and scraper extend into the sleeve, and the scraper abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve, including the following steps: The controller controls the extension and rotation of the first support rod; The controller controls the extension of the second support rod so that the scraper holder and the scraper are located on the side of the sleeve away from the mounting plate; The controller controls the first support rod to retract, so that the scraper holder and the scraper extend into the sleeve, and the scraper abuts against the inner wall of the sleeve; Preferably, after the scraper removes the vapor-deposited material deposited on the inner wall of the sleeve, the cleaning method further includes: The controller controls the extension of the first support rod so that the scraper holder and the scraper are located on the side of the sleeve away from the mounting plate; The controller controls the retraction of the second support rod; The controller controls the first support rod to rotate and retract, so that the orthographic projection of the scraper holder and the scraper on the mounting plate is outside the orthographic projection of the sleeve on the mounting plate; The heating device heats the scraper located outside the sleeve.

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