Deposition apparatus for organic light emitting diodes

Abstract

The present invention relates to a deposition apparatus for an organic light emitting diode, and more particularly, to a deposition apparatus for an organic light emitting diode in which a maintenance operation of a deposition material is independently performed by means of an auxiliary chamber and thus an evaluation time for the deposition material is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims priority and benefit to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0154758, filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on November 18, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This disclosure relates to a deposition apparatus for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), and more particularly, to a deposition apparatus for OLEDs that shortens the evaluation time of the deposited material by independently maintaining the deposited material in an auxiliary chamber. Background Technology

[0003] Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are active-matrix light-emitting devices. In these devices, an organic film is positioned between two separate electrodes. When current flows through these electrodes, electrons and holes supplied by the electrodes combine in the organic film to generate light. OLEDs are thin and lightweight, and possess high brightness and low power consumption, making them suitable for various applications. In particular, OLEDs have garnered attention as a next-generation display technology, and they can also be used for illumination emitting white and monochromatic light.

[0004] Manufacturing OLEDs requires processes for forming organic thin films and processes for forming conductive thin films, and evaporation deposition is the primary method used for forming these thin films.

[0005] Organic thin films are primarily manufactured as follows: a crucible containing low-molecular-weight organic material is heated by passing an electric current through a heating wire surrounding the crucible. The heat transferred to the crucible increases the temperature of the organic material within it, and as the temperature rises, the organic material exits the crucible in gaseous form and deposits onto a substrate. OLED deposition equipment has been used in this thermal deposition method for manufacturing organic thin films.

[0006] Figure 1 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of an existing OLED deposition device.

[0007] When reference Figure 1 In this case, the existing OLED deposition apparatus has a substrate S positioned on the upper part, and an OLED deposition apparatus source for heating and evaporating raw materials to deposit the raw materials on the substrate S and a thickness measurement sensor for measuring the thickness of the film deposited on the substrate are provided on the lower part.

[0008] The OLED deposition apparatus source form includes: a crucible containing organic materials and raw materials; a heating device that winds around the crucible to electrically heat it; and a nozzle unit comprising multiple nozzles with spray holes for spraying raw materials evaporated from the crucible by the heating device.

[0009] Existing OLED deposition devices contain all deposition materials in a single reaction chamber. Consequently, whenever the evaporation source is changed, the vacuum in the chamber is released, new evaporation material is placed, and the chamber is brought back into a vacuum for the virtual process. This results in long deposition and evaluation times.

[0010] Therefore, there is a need to improve the deposition equipment for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) so that it can evaluate some of the deposition materials or shorten the deposition time. Summary of the Invention

[0011] Technical issues

[0012] This disclosure is made in view of the foregoing, and relates to providing a deposition apparatus for organic light-emitting diodes that reduces the evaluation time of the deposition material during partial deposition by including multiple auxiliary chambers containing the deposition material and capable of independent maintenance.

[0013] Technical solution

[0014] A deposition apparatus for organic light-emitting diodes according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a main chamber for depositing and evaluating materials; an auxiliary chamber connected to the main chamber and into which the deposition material to be deposited is loaded; and a heating unit for heating the deposition material loaded in the auxiliary chamber.

[0015] In one embodiment, a bellows is included to connect the auxiliary chamber and the heating unit.

[0016] In one embodiment, the auxiliary chamber includes a loading unit in a compartment of the main chamber for loading deposited material.

[0017] In one embodiment, the loading unit further includes a gate valve for controlling the movement of the deposited material.

[0018] In one embodiment, a vacuum unit is also included to keep the interior of the auxiliary chamber in a vacuum state.

[0019] In one implementation, the auxiliary room is located below the main room.

[0020] In one embodiment, the auxiliary chamber includes an opening / closing unit located on one side for loading and unloading deposited material.

[0021] In one embodiment, the opening / closing unit further includes a compression member for maintaining the atmosphere inside the auxiliary chamber.

[0022] In one implementation, the auxiliary chamber and the heating unit are movable.

[0023] In one embodiment, a motor is also included to compress and decompress the bellows.

[0024] Beneficial effects

[0025] According to this disclosure, when the deposition material is partially deposited through multiple auxiliary chambers including the deposition material and capable of being maintained independently, the evaluation time of the deposition material is shortened. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of an existing OLED deposition device.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of a deposition apparatus for organic light-emitting diodes according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A magnified 3D view of part A.

[0029] Figure 4(a) is a cross-sectional view of the auxiliary chamber, the heating unit and the bellows before the heating unit is operated, and Figure 4(b) is a cross-sectional view of the auxiliary chamber and the heating unit during operation.

[0030] List of reference numerals

[0031] 100: Deposition equipment for organic light-emitting diodes

[0032] 10: Master Room

[0033] 20: Auxiliary Room

[0034] 21: Loading Unit

[0035] 21a: Second stage of loading unit

[0036] 21b: First stage of loading unit

[0037] 22: Gate valve

[0038] 23: Turn the unit on / off

[0039] 24: Vacuum Unit

[0040] 25: Vacuum valve

[0041] 30: Heating unit

[0042] 40: Corrugated pipe Detailed Implementation

[0043] The detailed description of this disclosure is intended to fully describe the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Throughout the application, a description in which a portion "includes" certain constituent elements or is "characterized" by certain structures and shapes does not exclude other constituent elements or other structures and shapes, and unless specifically indicated to the contrary, is intended to include other constituent elements, structures, and shapes.

[0044] This disclosure can be modified in many ways and can have various implementations, and therefore, specific implementations will be provided and described in detail in the detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure by the implementation methods, but should be construed as including all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and technical scope of this disclosure.

[0045] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of a deposition apparatus 100 for organic light-emitting diodes according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Figure 4(a) is a cross-sectional view of the auxiliary chamber 20, the heating unit 30 and the bellows 40 before the operation of the heating unit, and Figure 4(b) is a cross-sectional view of the auxiliary chamber 20 and the heating unit 30 when the heating unit 30 is being operated.

[0046] The deposition apparatus 100 for organic light-emitting diodes according to this disclosure includes a main chamber 10 and a deposition source A. Herein, the deposition source A includes an auxiliary chamber 20, a heating unit 30, and a bellows 40, and the deposition material is separately separated.

[0047] The main chamber 10 is configured to deposit material onto a substrate, and the main chamber 10 may include a substrate support on which the substrate is mounted. The main chamber 10 is preferably configured to be in a vacuum atmosphere to deposit the material onto the substrate. Therefore, the vacuum atmosphere of the main chamber 10 can be individually managed by a vacuum / atmospheric pressure control valve.

[0048] The main chamber 10 may include multiple compartments (not shown). The compartments may be connected to the loading unit 21 of the auxiliary chamber 20 and load the deposited material into the main chamber 10.

[0049] The auxiliary chamber 20 is configured to be connected to the main chamber 10 and loaded with deposition material for deposition. Therefore, a container containing the deposition material can be included in the auxiliary chamber 20, and the auxiliary chamber 20 can be positioned below the main chamber 10.

[0050] The auxiliary chamber 20 can be maintained independently to allow the deposited material to be loaded into the compartment of the main chamber 10. In other words, the deposition apparatus 100 for organic light-emitting diodes according to this disclosure can independently maintain a deposited material through the auxiliary chamber 20. Here, maintenance is a process for performing a virtual process and means releasing the vacuum state of the auxiliary chamber 20, placing the evaporation material, re-creating a vacuum state inside the auxiliary chamber 20, and then performing the virtual process. This virtual process means heating the auxiliary chamber 20 to remove impurities inside the auxiliary chamber 20, stabilizing the vacuum level, and evaporating the deposited material.

[0051] Therefore, the auxiliary chamber 20 may include a loading unit 21 for loading deposited material into a compartment of the main chamber 10. The loading unit 21 is configured to connect the auxiliary chamber 20 and the main chamber 10, and the loading unit 21 may be positioned above the auxiliary chamber 20. In other words, the loading unit 21 may be integrated into a compartment of the main chamber 10 and load deposited material into the main chamber 10.

[0052] In one embodiment, the loading unit 21 may be configured as two stages. Hereinafter, when the inserted portion is the second stage 21a of the two stages in the loading unit 21, only the first stage 21b may be provided in the loading unit 21 when the main chamber 10 and the auxiliary chamber 20 are not connected. During the virtual process, the loading unit 21 can connect the main chamber 10 and the auxiliary chamber 20 by protruding and inserting the second stage 21a into the compartment of the main chamber 10.

[0053] The auxiliary chamber 20 may also include a gate valve 22 for controlling the movement of deposited material through the loading unit 21. Additionally, the gate valve 22 can separate the atmosphere inside the auxiliary chamber 20 from the atmosphere inside the main chamber 10.

[0054] Gate valve 22 may be positioned in the middle of loading unit 21. Gate valve 22 is preferably closed before loading unit 21 is connected to the compartment of main chamber 10.

[0055] The auxiliary chamber 20 may also include an opening / closing unit 23 located on one side for loading and unloading deposited material. In other words, the deposited material can enter and leave the auxiliary chamber 20 through the opening / closing unit 23, and the deposited material can be replaced in a container within the auxiliary chamber 20.

[0056] Additionally, the opening / closing unit 23 may include a compression member (not shown) to maintain the atmosphere inside the auxiliary chamber. The compression member may be placed on the surfaces where the auxiliary chamber 20 and the opening / closing unit 23 contact each other.

[0057] After the deposited material is loaded into the container of the auxiliary chamber 20, the atmosphere formed inside the auxiliary chamber 20 needs to be the same as the atmosphere inside the main chamber 10. Therefore, the auxiliary chamber 20 may also include a vacuum unit 24 to maintain a vacuum inside. The deposition apparatus 100 for organic light-emitting diodes according to this disclosure also includes a vacuum valve 25 located between the auxiliary chamber 20 and the vacuum unit 24, which is used to maintain the atmosphere inside the auxiliary chamber 20 and control the vacuum unit 24.

[0058] The heating unit 30 is configured to heat the deposited material placed in the auxiliary chamber 20. The heating unit 30 heats the auxiliary chamber 20 to a set temperature to stabilize the vacuum atmosphere inside the auxiliary chamber 20 and to allow the deposited material to evaporate.

[0059] The heating unit 30 can move up / down to effectively transfer the generated heat to the auxiliary chamber 20 or to stop the virtual process.

[0060] In this document, the deposition apparatus 100 for organic light-emitting diodes according to this disclosure may further include a bellows 40 connecting an auxiliary chamber 20 and a heating unit 30. The bellows 40 can be compressed and stretched to move the heating unit 30 up / down. Heat generated in the heating unit 30 can be transferred to the auxiliary chamber 20 through the bellows 40.

[0061] In one embodiment, in the deposition apparatus 100 for organic light-emitting diodes according to the present disclosure, the second stage of the loading unit 21 may protrude to connect to the compartment of the main chamber 10 when the bellows 40 is compressed and the heating unit 30 moves toward the auxiliary chamber 20. Herein, the loading unit 21 may protrude toward the main chamber 10 due to the heat and pressure generated in the heating unit 30.

[0062] Additionally, the deposition apparatus 100 for organic light-emitting diodes according to this disclosure may also include a motor (not shown) to compress and decompress the bellows 40.

[0063] The deposition apparatus 100 for organic light-emitting diodes according to this disclosure may include one or more of an auxiliary chamber 20 and a heating unit 30. For example, when depositing three different deposition materials, the three different deposition materials may each be placed in one of the three auxiliary chambers 20 for maintenance.

[0064] In another embodiment, the auxiliary chamber 20 and the heating unit 30 are movable. In this document, the deposition apparatus 100 for organic light-emitting diodes may also include, below the main chamber 10, a support unit capable of supporting the auxiliary chamber 20 and the heating unit 30, and a track guiding the movement path, and the auxiliary chamber 20 and the heating unit 30 can move along the position of the compartments in the main chamber 10.

[0065] This disclosure has been described with reference to preferred embodiments; however, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and changes can be made to this disclosure without departing from the spirit and field of the disclosure as described in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A deposition apparatus for organic light-emitting diodes, the deposition apparatus comprising: Main chamber, where materials are deposited and evaluated; An auxiliary chamber is connected to the main chamber, and the material to be deposited is loaded into the auxiliary chamber; A heating unit that heats the deposition material loaded into the auxiliary chamber; as well as A corrugated pipe connects the auxiliary chamber and the heating unit. The main room includes multiple compartments; The auxiliary chamber includes a loading unit that loads the deposited material into the compartment of the main chamber; and The heat generated by the heating unit is transferred to the auxiliary chamber through the corrugated pipe.

2. The deposition apparatus for organic light-emitting diodes according to claim 1, wherein, The loading unit also includes a gate valve for controlling the movement of the deposited material.

3. The deposition apparatus for organic light-emitting diodes according to claim 1 further includes a vacuum unit for maintaining a vacuum state inside the auxiliary chamber.

4. The deposition apparatus for organic light-emitting diodes according to claim 1, wherein, The auxiliary room is located below the main room.

5. The deposition apparatus for organic light-emitting diodes according to claim 1, wherein, The auxiliary chamber includes an opening / closing unit located on one side for loading and unloading the deposited material.

6. The deposition apparatus for organic light-emitting diodes according to claim 5, wherein, The opening / closing unit also includes a compression component for maintaining the atmosphere inside the auxiliary chamber.

7. The deposition apparatus for organic light-emitting diodes according to claim 1, wherein, The auxiliary chamber and the heating unit are movable.

8. The deposition apparatus for organic light-emitting diodes according to claim 1, further comprising: A motor that compresses and decompresses the bellows.

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