Evaporation source nozzle

Abstract

This application relates to the field of evaporation coating technology, and particularly to an evaporation source nozzle. The evaporation source nozzle includes a nozzle body, and the nozzle body includes a channel for the evaporation material to flow through; an inner sleeve, and a rotating assembly is arranged between the inner sleeve and the inner wall of the channel, and at least part of the inner sleeve is rotatably arranged in the channel through the rotating assembly. At least part of the inner sleeve of the evaporation source nozzle provided in this application is rotatably arranged in the channel through the rotating assembly, which is beneficial to the evaporation or return of the condensed material attached to the inner sleeve to the crucible, thereby reducing the possibility that the evaporation material will block the nozzle after condensation and improving the quality of evaporation coating.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of evaporation coating technology, and particularly to an evaporation source nozzle. Background Art

[0002] In the manufacturing process of OLEDs, the key technology is the evaporation coating process. In the evaporation coating process, an organic material is placed in a crucible and heated. The organic material evaporates, and the evaporated material is ejected through a nozzle, and finally the evaporation coating of the substrate is achieved.

[0003] However, the existing evaporation source nozzles are easily blocked by the condensed organic materials, and the blocked organic materials are not easily cleaned, resulting in a decrease in the evaporation coating quality of the evaporation source.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for an evaporation source nozzle to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides an evaporation source nozzle to reduce the possibility that the evaporation material will block the nozzle after condensation, thereby improving the evaporation coating quality.

[0006] An embodiment of this application provides an evaporation source nozzle, including:

[0007] A nozzle body, the nozzle body includes a channel for the evaporation material to flow through;

[0008] An inner sleeve, a rotating assembly is arranged between the inner sleeve and the inner wall of the channel, and at least part of the inner sleeve is rotatably arranged in the channel through the rotating assembly.

[0009] In a possible design, the channel sequentially includes a first channel, a second channel, and a third channel along the material discharging direction, the inner sleeve sequentially includes a first inner sleeve, a second inner sleeve, and a third inner sleeve along the material discharging direction, the first inner sleeve is arranged in the first channel, the second inner sleeve is arranged in the second channel, and the third inner sleeve is arranged in the third channel;

[0010] At least one of the first channel, the second channel, and the third channel is provided with the rotating assembly.

[0011] In a possible design, the rotating assembly includes a first rotating assembly arranged in the third channel, the diameter of the third channel gradually decreases along the material discharging direction, the first rotating assembly includes a first bearing arranged at the material discharging port of the third channel and a second bearing arranged at the material feeding port of the third channel;

[0012] The first bearing and the second bearing are respectively connected to the third inner sleeve and can drive the third inner sleeve to rotate.

[0013] In a possible design, the rotating assembly further includes a second rotating assembly disposed in the second channel, the diameter of the second channel remains unchanged along the material discharge direction, and the second rotating assembly includes a third bearing disposed at the discharge port of the second channel and a fourth bearing disposed at the feed port of the third channel;

[0014] The third bearing and the fourth bearing are respectively connected to the second inner sleeve and can drive the second inner sleeve to rotate.

[0015] In a possible design, spheres are provided on the inner wall of the second channel, and the second inner sleeve can contact the spheres.

[0016] In a possible design, a first sealing ring is provided between the second inner sleeve and the third inner sleeve, a second sealing ring is provided between the first inner sleeve and the second inner sleeve, and a third sealing ring is provided between the first inner sleeve and the inner wall of the first channel.

[0017] In a possible design, the cross-sections of the first inner sleeve, the second inner sleeve and the third inner sleeve are polygonal.

[0018] In a possible design, the inner sleeve is made of a heat-conducting material.

[0019] It can be seen that in the above aspects, at least part of the inner sleeve of the evaporation source nozzle provided in the present application is rotatably disposed in the channel through the rotating assembly, which is beneficial to the evaporation of the condensed material attached to the inner sleeve or its falling back into the crucible, thereby reducing the possibility that the evaporation material will block the nozzle after condensation and improving the quality of evaporation coating. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the evaporation source nozzle provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a top view of the first inner sleeve in

[0022] Reference numerals:

[0023] 1 - nozzle body;

[0024] 10 - channel;

[0025] 101 - first channel;

[0026] 102 - second channel;

[0027] 103 - third channel;

[0028] 2 - inner sleeve;

[0029] 21 - first inner sleeve;

[0030] 22 - Second inner sleeve;

[0031] 23 - Third inner sleeve;

[0032] 31 - First bearing;

[0033] 32 - Second bearing;

[0034] 33 - Third bearing;

[0035] 34 - Fourth bearing;

[0036] 41 - First sealing ring;

[0037] 42 - Second sealing ring;

[0038] 43 - Third sealing ring;

[0039] 5 - Sphere.

[0040] The accompanying drawings here are incorporated into and form a part of this specification, showing embodiments consistent with this application, and are used together with the specification to explain the principles of this application. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0041] The following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments, details this application. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely for explaining this application and not for limiting this application.

[0042] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance; unless otherwise specified or stated, the term "plurality" means two or more; the terms "connection", "fixation", etc. should all be understood in a broad sense. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, an integral connection, or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0043] In the description of this specification, it should be understood that the orientation terms such as "upper" and "lower" described in the embodiments of this application are described from the angles shown in the accompanying drawings and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of this application. In addition, in the context, it should also be understood that when it is mentioned that an element is connected "above" or "below" another element, it can not only be directly connected "above" or "below" another element, but also be indirectly connected "above" or "below" another element through an intermediate element.

[0044] In the preparation process of OLEDs, the key technology is the evaporation coating process. In the evaporation coating process, the organic material is placed in a crucible and heated. The organic material evaporates, and the evaporated material is ejected through a nozzle, and finally the evaporation coating of the substrate is achieved.

[0045] However, the existing evaporation source nozzles are easily blocked by the condensed organic materials, and the blocked organic materials are not easy to be cleaned, resulting in a decrease in the evaporation coating quality of the evaporation source.

[0046] To solve the above problems, the present application provides an evaporation source nozzle. As Figure 1 shown, it is a schematic cross-sectional view of the evaporation source nozzle provided by an embodiment of the present application. The evaporation source nozzle includes a nozzle body 1 and an inner sleeve 2, wherein:

[0047] The nozzle body 1 includes a channel 10 for the evaporated material to flow through. A rotating assembly is provided between the inner sleeve 2 and the inner wall of the channel 10. At least a part of the inner sleeve 2 is rotatably arranged in the channel 10 through the rotating assembly. This is beneficial to the evaporation or falling back of the condensed material attached to the inner sleeve 2 to the crucible (not shown in the figure), thereby reducing the possibility that the evaporated material will block the nozzle after condensation and improving the evaporation coating quality.

[0048] In some embodiments, the channel 10 sequentially includes a first channel 101, a second channel 102, and a third channel 103 along the material discharging direction. The inner sleeve 2 sequentially includes a first inner sleeve 21, a second inner sleeve 22, and a third inner sleeve 23 along the material discharging direction. The first inner sleeve 21 is arranged in the first channel 101, the second inner sleeve 22 is arranged in the second channel 102, and the third inner sleeve 23 is arranged in the third channel 103; at least one of the first channel 101, the second channel 102, and the third channel 103 is provided with a rotating assembly. Among them, both the first channel 101 and the third channel 103 can be frustum-shaped, the second channel 102 can be cylindrical, the minimum diameter of the first channel 101 is the same as the diameter of the second channel 102, and the diameter of the second channel 102 is the same as the maximum diameter of the third channel 103. Such a setting can increase the ejection rate of the evaporated material. The included angle between the inner wall of the third channel 103 and the horizontal plane can be 30° - 60°, so that the uniformity of the film layers at various positions on the substrate can be controlled by controlling the ejection angle of the evaporated material.

[0049] In some embodiments, the rotating assembly includes a first rotating assembly disposed in the third channel 103. The diameter of the third channel 103 gradually decreases along the material discharge direction. The first rotating assembly includes a first bearing 31 disposed at the discharge port (i.e., the smallest diameter part) of the third channel 103 and a second bearing 32 disposed at the feed port (i.e., the largest diameter part) of the third channel 103. The first bearing 31 and the second bearing 32 are respectively connected to the third inner sleeve 23 and can drive the third inner sleeve 23 to rotate. It can be understood that both the first bearing 31 and the second bearing 32 can be miniature bearings to be better disposed in the third channel 103. Both the first bearing 31 and the second bearing 32 include an outer ring, an inner ring, and balls disposed between the outer ring and the inner ring (the specific structures of the bearings are not shown in the figure). The outer ring is fixed to the side wall of the third channel 103, and the inner ring is fixed to the third inner sleeve 23. For example, both can be fixed by gluing or welding, so that the third inner sleeve 23 can rotate relative to the third channel 103. Since the smaller the diameter of the channel 10, the easier the evaporation material is to condense on the inner sleeve 2 when the temperature is too low. That is to say, the evaporation material is most likely to condense on the third inner sleeve 23. When the evaporation material condenses on the third inner sleeve 23, on the one hand, the temperature of the crucible can be increased to heat the third inner sleeve 23, so as to facilitate the evaporation or return of the condensed material attached to the third inner sleeve 23 to the crucible. On the other hand, the rotation of the first bearing 31 and the second bearing 32 can also be controlled (for example, the bearings can be driven to rotate by a miniature motor) to drive the third inner sleeve 23 to rotate, so as to facilitate the evaporation or return of the condensed material attached to the third inner sleeve 23 to the crucible, ultimately avoiding the blockage of the nozzle and improving the quality of evaporation coating.

[0050] In some embodiments, the rotating assembly further includes a second rotating assembly disposed in the second channel 102. The diameter of the second channel 102 remains unchanged along the material discharge direction. The second rotating assembly includes a third bearing 33 disposed at the discharge port of the second channel 102 and a fourth bearing 34 disposed at the feed port of the third channel 103. The third bearing 33 and the fourth bearing 34 are respectively connected to the second inner sleeve 22 and can drive the second inner sleeve 22 to rotate. When the evaporation material condenses on the second inner sleeve 22, on the one hand, the temperature of the crucible can be increased to heat the second inner sleeve 22, so as to facilitate the evaporation or return of the condensed material attached to the second inner sleeve 22 to the crucible. On the other hand, the rotation of the third bearing 33 and the fourth bearing 34 can also be controlled (for example, the bearings can be driven to rotate by a miniature motor) to drive the second inner sleeve 22 to rotate, so as to facilitate the evaporation or return of the condensed material attached to the second inner sleeve 22 to the crucible, ultimately avoiding the blockage of the nozzle and improving the quality of evaporation coating.

[0051] In some embodiments, a sphere 5 is provided on the inner wall of the second channel 102, and the second inner sleeve 22 can contact the sphere 5. When vapor deposition is performed, the second rotating assembly drives the second inner sleeve 22 to rotate. During the rotation, the second inner sleeve 22 will touch the sphere 5. The contact of the sphere 5 with the second inner sleeve 22 further facilitates the condensed material attached to the second inner sleeve 22 to fall back into the crucible, avoiding clogging of the nozzle and improving the quality of vapor deposition.

[0052] In some embodiments, a first sealing ring 41 is provided between the second inner sleeve 22 and the third inner sleeve 23, a second sealing ring 42 is provided between the first inner sleeve 21 and the second inner sleeve 22, and a third sealing ring 43 is provided between the first inner sleeve 21 and the inner wall of the first channel 101. With this arrangement, on the one hand, the first inner sleeve 21, the second inner sleeve 22, and the third inner sleeve 23 are sequentially connected into a whole, and on the other hand, it prevents the evaporation material from entering the gap between the inner sleeve 2 and the inner wall of the channel 10, thus ensuring the normal operation of the nozzle and improving the quality of vapor deposition.

[0053] In some embodiments, the cross-sections of the first inner sleeve 21, the second inner sleeve 22, and the third inner sleeve 23 are polygonal (see Figure 2 ). In this way, the heat absorption areas of the first inner sleeve 21, the second inner sleeve 22, and the third inner sleeve 23 can be increased, which is more conducive to the evaporation of the condensed material attached to the first inner sleeve 21, the second inner sleeve 22, and the third inner sleeve 23. Moreover, it can also facilitate the continuous contact and vibration between the second inner sleeve 22 and the sphere 5, thereby facilitating the condensed material attached to the second inner sleeve 22 to fall back into the crucible.

[0054] In some embodiments, the inner sleeve 2 is made of a heat-conducting material, such as a heat-conducting silicone grease, a heat-conducting silica gel, or other heat-conducting materials, so as to facilitate the transfer of the heat of the crucible to the inner sleeve 2, and further enable the condensed material on the surface of the inner sleeve 2 to evaporate.

[0055] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. An evaporation source nozzle, characterized in that, Comprising: A nozzle body (1), the nozzle body (1) comprising a passage (10) for the flow of evaporation material; An inner sleeve (2), a rotating assembly is arranged between the inner sleeve (2) and the inner wall of the passage (10), and at least part of the inner sleeve (2) is rotatably arranged in the passage (10) through the rotating assembly; The passage (10) sequentially comprises a first passage (101), a second passage (102) and a third passage (103) along the discharging direction, the inner sleeve (2) sequentially comprises a first inner sleeve (21), a second inner sleeve (22) and a third inner sleeve (23) along the discharging direction, the first inner sleeve (21) is arranged in the first passage (101), the second inner sleeve (22) is arranged in the second passage (102), and the third inner sleeve (23) is arranged in the third passage (103); at least one of the first passage (101), the second passage (102) and the third passage (103) is provided with the rotating assembly; The rotating assembly comprises a first rotating assembly arranged in the third passage (103), and the diameter of the third passage (103) gradually decreases along the discharging direction.

2. The evaporation source nozzle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first rotating assembly comprises a first bearing (31) arranged at the discharging port of the third passage (103) and a second bearing (32) arranged at the feeding port of the third passage (103); The first bearing (31) and the second bearing (32) are respectively connected to the third inner sleeve (23) and can drive the third inner sleeve (23) to rotate.

3. The evaporation source nozzle according to claim 2, characterized in that, The rotating assembly further comprises a second rotating assembly arranged in the second passage (102), the diameter of the second passage (102) remains unchanged along the discharging direction, and the second rotating assembly comprises a third bearing (33) arranged at the discharging port of the second passage (102) and a fourth bearing (34) arranged at the feeding port of the third passage (103); The third bearing (33) and the fourth bearing (34) are respectively connected to the second inner sleeve (22) and can drive the second inner sleeve (22) to rotate.

4. The evaporation source nozzle according to claim 3, characterized in that, A sphere (5) is arranged on the inner wall of the second passage (102), and the second inner sleeve (22) can contact the sphere (5).

5. The evaporation source nozzle according to claim 1, characterized in that, A first sealing ring (41) is arranged between the second inner sleeve (22) and the third inner sleeve (23), a second sealing ring (42) is arranged between the first inner sleeve (21) and the second inner sleeve (22), and a third sealing ring (43) is arranged between the first inner sleeve (21) and the inner wall of the first passage (101).

6. The evaporation source nozzle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cross sections of the first inner sleeve (21), the second inner sleeve (22) and the third inner sleeve (23) are polygonal.

7. The evaporation source nozzle according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The inner sleeve (2) is made of a heat-conducting material.

Images