Vacuum coating system and vacuum coating method

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a vacuum coating system and a vacuum coating method. The system includes: a vacuum chamber; a conveying device disposed inside the vacuum chamber for moving a substrate; and a heater disposed inside the vacuum chamber for heating the substrate. The vacuum chamber also contains multiple evaporation coating chambers along the substrate's movement direction, and a coating detection component cooperating with each evaporation coating chamber. An evaporation source is disposed within each evaporation coating chamber. A controller is configured to determine the target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber cooperating with the target coating detection component, based at least on the target coating information detected by the target coating detection component, and to control the evaporation source of the target evaporation coating chamber based on the target coating result. The target coating detection component can be any one of the coating detection components within the vacuum chamber. Using the system of this disclosure, the coating process can be controlled more precisely, resulting in more flexible and accurate control.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of vacuum coating technology, and more specifically, to a vacuum coating system and a vacuum coating method. Background Technology

[0002] Vacuum deposition can be described as a process in which the material to be deposited evaporates or sublimates into gaseous particles in a vacuum environment. These gaseous particles are then transported to the surface of a substrate, where they nucleate and grow, resulting in the reconstruction of thin film atoms or the formation of new chemical bonds between atoms. Vacuum deposition systems are widely used in processes such as thin-film battery manufacturing.

[0003] However, vacuum coating systems in related technologies suffer from problems with untimely control of the thin film growth process, resulting in low product performance or yield. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a vacuum coating system and a vacuum coating method to solve the problems existing in the related art.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the first part of this disclosure provides a vacuum coating system, the system comprising:

[0006] A vacuum chamber, a conveying device disposed inside the vacuum chamber for moving the substrate, and a heater disposed inside the vacuum chamber for heating the substrate.

[0007] The vacuum chamber is also provided with multiple evaporation coating chambers along the substrate moving direction, and a coating detection component that cooperates with each evaporation coating chamber. An evaporation source is provided in each evaporation coating chamber.

[0008] The controller is configured to determine the target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber that cooperates with the target coating detection component, based at least on the target coating information detected by the target coating detection component, and to control the evaporation source of the target evaporation coating chamber based on the target coating result. The target coating detection component is any coating detection component in the vacuum chamber.

[0009] In some embodiments, the target coating detection component includes a coating detection device for detecting coating information at a preset position on the substrate.

[0010] In some embodiments, the evaporation source disposed in the target evaporation coating chamber includes a macromolecular evaporation source for evaporating macromolecular materials and a small molecule evaporation source for evaporating small molecule materials;

[0011] The target coating detection assembly includes a first coating detection device for detecting coating information at the centerline position of the substrate, and a second coating detection device for detecting coating information at the edge position of the substrate.

[0012] The controller is also configured to determine a first target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber based at least on the first coating information detected by the first coating detection device, and to determine a second target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber based at least on the second coating information detected by the second coating detection device, and to control the macromolecular evaporation source of the target evaporation coating chamber based on the first target coating result and the second target coating result.

[0013] The second part of this disclosure provides a vacuum coating method, which is applied to a controller in a vacuum coating system according to any one of the first parts. The vacuum coating method includes:

[0014] Obtain the target coating information detected by the target coating detection component;

[0015] The target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber is determined based at least on the target coating information.

[0016] Based on the target coating result, the evaporation source of the target evaporation coating chamber is controlled.

[0017] In some embodiments, determining the target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber based at least on the target coating information includes:

[0018] When the target evaporation coating chamber is the first evaporation coating chamber along the substrate moving direction, the target coating information is determined as the target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber;

[0019] When the target evaporation coating chamber is any evaporation coating chamber other than the first evaporation coating chamber, the target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber is determined based on the target coating information and the coating information of the previous evaporation coating chamber of the target evaporation coating chamber.

[0020] In some embodiments, the target coating result includes the target macromolecular coating result corresponding to the macromolecular evaporation source and the target small molecule coating result corresponding to the small molecule evaporation source. The step of controlling the evaporation source of the target evaporation coating chamber based on the target coating result includes:

[0021] Based on the coating results of the target macromolecule, the evaporation stability of the macromolecule evaporation source is determined;

[0022] Under the condition that the evaporation of the macromolecule evaporation source is stable, the difference between the target small molecule coating result and the corresponding standard coating result is obtained;

[0023] If the difference is greater than a preset difference threshold, control information is output to control the small molecule evaporation source in the target evaporation coating chamber.

[0024] In some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0025] If it is determined that the macromolecular evaporation source is unstable, control information is output to control the macromolecular evaporation source in the target evaporation coating chamber.

[0026] In some embodiments, the evaporation source disposed within the target evaporation coating chamber includes a macromolecular evaporation source and a small molecule evaporation source. The target coating detection assembly includes a first coating detection device for detecting coating information at the centerline position of the substrate, and a second coating detection device for detecting coating information at the edge position of the substrate. The method further includes:

[0027] The first target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber is determined based at least on the first coating information detected by the first coating detection device, and the second target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber is determined based at least on the second coating information detected by the second coating detection device.

[0028] Based on the first target coating result and the second target coating result, the distribution of macromolecular materials and small molecule materials on the substrate is determined;

[0029] When the distribution is determined to be uneven, control information is output to control the macromolecular evaporation source in the target evaporation coating chamber.

[0030] In some embodiments, determining the distribution of the macromolecular and small molecule materials based on the first target coating result and the second target coating result includes:

[0031] The normalization process is performed based on the first target coating result and the second target coating result to obtain the normalized result;

[0032] Based on the normalization results and the preset range, the distribution of the macromolecular materials and small molecule materials is determined.

[0033] In some embodiments, determining the distribution of the macromolecular and small molecule materials based on the normalization result and a preset range includes:

[0034] If the normalization result exceeds the preset range, the distribution is determined to be uneven.

[0035] By adopting the above technical solution, at least the following beneficial technical effects can be achieved:

[0036] Because each evaporation coating chamber is equipped with a cooperating coating detection component, the coating result of the corresponding evaporation coating chamber can be detected through the cooperating coating detection component. Then, based on the coating result of each evaporation coating chamber, the distribution control of the evaporation source of the corresponding evaporation coating chamber can be carried out. Since the evaporation source of each coating stage can be controlled separately, it can be refined to each coating stage, which can achieve more detailed control of the coating process, making the control more flexible and accurate. That is, the composition, thickness and uniformity of the film can be precisely controlled at each deposition stage during the thin film production process, and the process is always under control in long-term continuous production.

[0037] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will be described in detail in the following detailed description section. Attached Figure Description

[0038] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the present disclosure and form part of the specification. They are used together with the following detailed description to explain the present disclosure, but do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings:

[0039] Figure 1 This is a side view of a vacuum coating system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figure 2 This is a plan view of a vacuum coating system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the atomic percentage of different evaporating materials at different times, measured by an XRF detection device, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the mass density of different evaporating materials at different times, measured by an XRF detection device, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0043] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the film thickness at different times measured by an XRF detection device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0044] Figure 6 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating a vacuum coating method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0045] Figure 7 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating another vacuum coating method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0046] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0047] 1-Conveying device, 2-Heater, 3-Substrate, 4-First evaporation source, 41-First small molecule evaporation source, 42-First macromolecule evaporation source, 5-First coating detection component, 51-First coating detection device, 52-Second coating detection device, 6-Second evaporation source, 61-Second small molecule evaporation source, 62-Second macromolecule evaporation source, 7-Second coating detection component, 71-Third coating detection device, 72-Fourth coating detection device, 8-Vacuum chamber, 91-First small molecule controller, 92-First macromolecule controller, 101-Second small molecule controller, 102-Second macromolecule controller, 111-First evaporation coating chamber, 112-Second evaporation coating chamber. Detailed Implementation

[0048] The specific embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit this disclosure.

[0049] The applicant discovered through long-term research that existing vacuum coating systems measure the coating parameters of the entire film after completing the coating process and obtaining a multilayer film. The parameters are then fitted to determine the relationship between the coating parameters and the film composition and thickness, thus setting the process parameters. However, because film formation involves multiple continuous coating stages, each with different parameters, this method cannot account for the impact of changes in the actual process environment, cannot provide real-time measurement and feedback, cannot assess process biases during long-term continuous production, and cannot flexibly and accurately change the longitudinal elemental distribution of the film at each coating stage. This results in existing vacuum coating systems having problems with untimely control of the film growth process, leading to low product performance or yield.

[0050] In view of this, the present disclosure provides a vacuum coating system and a vacuum coating method to solve the above problems.

[0051] The vacuum coating system of this disclosure includes a vacuum chamber, a conveying device disposed inside the vacuum chamber for moving a substrate, a heater disposed inside the vacuum chamber for heating the substrate, and a controller.

[0052] The vacuum chamber is equipped with multiple evaporation coating chambers along the substrate moving direction, and a coating detection component that cooperates with each evaporation coating chamber. An evaporation source is provided in each evaporation coating chamber. The controller is used to determine the target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber that cooperates with the target coating detection component, based at least on the target coating information detected by the target coating detection component, and to control the evaporation source of the target evaporation coating chamber based on the target coating result. The target coating detection component can be any coating detection component in the vacuum chamber.

[0053] In some implementations, the conveying device may be a conveyor roller or a conveyor belt, etc. The purpose of the conveying device is to move the substrate. It is understood that the substrate moves in the same direction as the conveying device.

[0054] In some implementations, the substrate can be made of materials such as stainless steel foil, glass, polyimide, silicon wafer, and polymer film, depending on the actual process.

[0055] In this embodiment, the vacuum chamber provides a vacuum environment for the deposition process. The heater is used to heat the substrate and maintain the process temperature.

[0056] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the evaporation coating chamber can be understood as a chamber that completes a single coating process. An evaporation source is provided in the evaporation coating chamber for heating and evaporating solid materials. The number and type of evaporation sources are set according to the actual process.

[0057] Furthermore, a coating detection assembly matching each evaporation coating chamber can be installed after each evaporation coating chamber. This coating detection assembly can include one or more coating detection devices. The purpose of the coating detection devices is to measure coating information on the substrate, such as the amount of evaporated material deposited on the substrate, including information such as composition, film thickness, atomic percentage, and mass density.

[0058] It is understandable that the coating detection component can only detect all the evaporated material deposited on the current substrate, but not the evaporated material deposited through each coating stage. Therefore, coating information can be understood as the total amount of evaporated material deposited on the current substrate. The coating result can be understood as the cumulative amount of evaporated material added to the substrate in the corresponding coating stage.

[0059] For example, the coating information detected by the second coating detection component is the total amount of evaporated material deposited on the substrate after passing through the first evaporation coating chamber and the second evaporation coating chamber. The coating result of the second evaporation coating chamber refers to the amount of newly added evaporated material on the substrate after passing through the coating process of the second evaporation coating chamber, based on the amount of deposition that already exists after the first evaporation coating chamber.

[0060] In some embodiments, the coating detection device can be a spectrometer and other non-destructive testing equipment capable of testing thin film components. For example, the coating detection device can be an XRF (X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy) measuring device.

[0061] In some implementations, the controller may be a PID controller. Optionally, the PID controller may be a master controller, thereby determining the target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber that cooperates with the target coating detection component, based at least on the target coating information detected by the target coating detection component, and controlling the evaporation source of the target evaporation coating chamber based on the target coating result.

[0062] Optionally, the PID controller may also include multiple PID sub-controllers. One PID sub-controller is connected to a coating detection component and an evaporation source in an evaporation coating chamber. The PID sub-controller determines the target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber that cooperates with the target coating detection component, based at least on the target coating information detected by the corresponding coating detection component. Based on the target coating result, the evaporation source of the corresponding evaporation coating chamber is controlled.

[0063] Using the above system, since each evaporation coating chamber is equipped with a corresponding coating detection component, the coating result of the corresponding evaporation coating chamber can be detected through the corresponding coating detection component. Then, based on the coating result of each evaporation coating chamber, the evaporation source of the corresponding evaporation coating chamber can be distributed and controlled. Since the evaporation source of each coating stage can be controlled separately, it can be refined to each coating stage, which can provide more detailed control of the coating process, making the control more flexible and accurate. That is, the composition, thickness and uniformity of the film can be precisely controlled at each deposition stage during the thin film production process, and the process is always under control in long-term continuous production.

[0064] In some embodiments, the target coating detection component includes a coating detection device for detecting coating information at a preset position on the substrate. The preset position can be any position along the width of the substrate. For example, when the target coating detection component is located between a first evaporation coating chamber and a second evaporation coating chamber, it can be installed between the first and second evaporation coating chambers at the substrate centerline to detect coating information at the substrate centerline, or installed between the first and second evaporation coating chambers at the substrate edge to detect coating information at the baseline edge. Thus, by using the coating detection device positioned at the preset position, coating information at the preset position on the substrate can be detected. The installation of the coating detection device can be referenced in related technologies; in this embodiment, the focus is on the installation position of the coating detection device.

[0065] Furthermore, considering that some coating processes utilize macromolecular evaporation sources to evaporate macromolecular materials and small-molecule evaporation sources to evaporate small-molecule materials, even if the evaporated particles from the evaporation source are uniformly distributed, the probability of molecular collisions changes when deposited onto the substrate due to the presence of equipment cavity walls at the substrate edges. When the distribution of macromolecular material particles changes, the small-molecule material particles are particularly significantly affected. The consequence is that, during stable production, there will always be a situation where the center is higher or lower than the edge. Moreover, as the production cycle lengthens and the consumption rate of the evaporation source raw materials varies, this trend may change again. This difference is a common and inherent design flaw that requires a quantifiable method for monitoring and intervention. Current industry solutions include: ① removing / discarding edge samples; ② increasing the distance between the substrate edge and the cavity wall or designing irregularly shaped cavities; ③ designing complex evaporation coating systems. These methods always significantly increase costs or technical risks, and the designed systems can only be used for specific evaporation materials. Therefore, in order to ensure the uniformity of the coating material distribution on the substrate, in some embodiments, the target coating detection component includes a first coating detection device for detecting coating information at the center position of the substrate, and a second coating detection device for detecting coating information at the edge position of the substrate. The controller is also used to determine a first target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber based at least on the first coating information detected by the first coating detection device, and to determine a second target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber based at least on the second coating information detected by the second coating detection device, and to control the macromolecular evaporation source of the target evaporation coating chamber based on the first target coating result and the second target coating result.

[0066] In this embodiment, a first coating detection device for detecting coating information at the centerline of the substrate and a second coating detection device for detecting coating information at the edge of the substrate are respectively set up. A controller is used to determine a first target coating result for the target evaporation coating chamber based at least on the first coating information detected by the first coating detection device, and a second target coating result for the target evaporation coating chamber based at least on the second coating information detected by the second coating detection device. Furthermore, the controller controls the macromolecular evaporation source in the target evaporation coating chamber based on the first and second target coating results. Since the first and second target coating results are available, the distribution of macromolecular and small molecule materials on the substrate can be determined based on these results, such as whether the distribution is uniform. Therefore, it is determined whether control of the macromolecular evaporation source in the target evaporation coating chamber is necessary based on the distribution.

[0067] Furthermore, in this embodiment of the disclosure, considering that macromolecular materials have a greater impact on the uniformity of material distribution at the edge of the substrate, it is preferable to adjust the macromolecular evaporation source to improve the adjustment speed.

[0068] Among them, macromolecular materials and small molecule materials can be distinguished based on their molecular volume. The specific boundary can be set according to actual needs.

[0069] It should be noted that the vacuum coating system in this embodiment can be used not only for vacuum evaporation physical vapor deposition, but also for physical vapor deposition methods such as magnetron sputtering and pulsed laser thin film deposition.

[0070] The following is combined with Figure 1 and Figure 2 The above-mentioned vacuum coating system will be illustrated with specific examples.

[0071] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the vacuum coating system includes a vacuum chamber 8, a conveying device 1 disposed inside the vacuum chamber 8 for moving the substrate 3, a heater 2 disposed inside the vacuum chamber 8 for heating the substrate 3, and a controller, which includes a first small molecule controller 91, a first large molecule controller 92, a second small molecule controller 101, and a second large molecule controller 102.

[0072] The vacuum chamber 8 is further provided with two evaporation coating chambers along the moving direction of the substrate 3, namely a first evaporation coating chamber 111 and a second evaporation coating chamber 112. The vacuum chamber 8 is also provided with a first coating detection component 5 that cooperates with the first evaporation coating chamber 111. The first coating detection component 5 may include a first coating detection device 51 located at the center line of the substrate and a second coating detection device 52 located at the edge of the substrate. The vacuum chamber 8 is also provided with a device that cooperates with the second evaporation coating chamber 112. The second coating detection component 7 can include a third coating detection device 71 located at the center line of the substrate and a fourth coating detection device 72 located at the edge of the substrate. The first evaporation coating chamber 111 is provided with a first evaporation source 4, which includes a first small molecule evaporation source 41 and a first large molecule evaporation source 42. The second evaporation coating chamber 112 is provided with a second evaporation source 6, which includes a second small molecule evaporation source 61 and a second large molecule evaporation source 62.

[0073] Among them, the first small molecule controller 91 is used to control the first small molecule evaporation source 41, the first large molecule controller 92 is used to control the first large molecule evaporation source 42, the second small molecule controller 101 is used to control the second small molecule evaporation source 61, and the second large molecule controller 102 is used to control the second large molecule evaporation source 62.

[0074] The coating information measured by the XRF detection device is shown below with reference to the accompanying diagram.

[0075] like Figure 3 As shown, the atomic percentage (atm) of four evaporation materials (Cu, In, Ga, Se) at a certain location, measured by an XRF detection device, is shown at different times: Cu-atm, In-atm, Ga-atm, and Se-atm. Figure 3 In the diagram, the X-axis represents the measurement time in minutes, and the Y-axis represents the atomic percentage in percent.

[0076] like Figure 4 As shown, the mass density wt of four evaporation materials (Cu, In, Ga, Se) at a certain location, measured by an XRF detection device, is shown at different times, namely Cu-wt, In-wt, Ga-wt, and Sewt. Figure 4 In the diagram, the X-axis represents the measurement time in minutes, and the Y-axis represents the mass density in percent.

[0077] like Figure 5 The image shows the thickness of a thin film deposited at a certain location on a substrate, as measured by an XRF detection device. Figure 5In the diagram, the X-axis represents the measurement time in minutes, and the Y-axis represents the film thickness in micrometers (µm).

[0078] For example, taking the fabrication of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) batteries as an example: the three-step co-evaporation process for CIGS thin-film batteries, including three coating stages, is a classic method for fabricating CIGS batteries. Its fabrication process can be described as follows:

[0079] First, a (In,Ga)Se pre-layer is prepared. Elements In, Ga, and Se are vacuum evaporated, and In / Ga is deposited in a fixed ratio at a substrate temperature of approximately 350°C. Cu and Se are co-evaporated to form a Cu-rich CIGS film with an atomic ratio of Cu / (In+Ga)>1, and the substrate temperature is increased to 550-580°C. While maintaining the substrate temperature, In, Ga, and Se are deposited to finally form a film with the composition Cu(ln0.7Ga0.3)Se2.

[0080] Based on the above preparation process, three evaporation coating chambers can be set in the vacuum chamber. In the first evaporation coating chamber, evaporation sources corresponding to In, Ga, and Se can be set. In the second evaporation coating chamber, evaporation sources corresponding to Cu and Se can be set. In the third evaporation coating chamber, evaporation sources corresponding to In, Ga, and Se can be set.

[0081] Furthermore, a coating detection component that works with the first evaporation coating chamber can be installed after the first evaporation coating chamber, that is, between the first and second evaporation coating chambers, to detect the coating information on the substrate after coating in the first evaporation coating chamber. Additionally, a coating detection component that works with the second evaporation coating chamber can be installed between the second and third evaporation coating chambers to detect the coating information on the substrate after coating in the first evaporation coating chamber. Furthermore, a coating detection component that works with the third evaporation coating chamber can be installed after the third evaporation coating chamber to detect the coating information on the substrate after coating in the third evaporation coating chamber.

[0082] Please see Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a vacuum coating method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. This vacuum coating method can be applied to the controller in the vacuum coating system of any of the foregoing embodiments. (Refer to...) Figure 6 The vacuum coating method includes:

[0083] S610, acquire the target coating information detected by the target coating detection component;

[0084] S620, at least based on the target coating information, determine the target coating result for the target evaporation coating chamber;

[0085] S630 controls the evaporation source of the target evaporation coating chamber based on the target coating result.

[0086] In this embodiment, the controller can acquire the target coating information detected by the target coating detection component. Then, the controller can determine the target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber based at least on the target coating information. Finally, it can control the evaporation source of the target evaporation coating chamber based on the target coating result. Since the evaporation source can be controlled separately at each coating stage, the control can be refined down to each coating stage, providing more detailed control over the coating process. This makes the control more flexible and accurate. In other words, the composition, thickness, and uniformity of the thin film at each deposition stage can be precisely controlled during thin film production, and the process remains under control throughout long-term continuous production.

[0087] Based on the foregoing, coating information can be understood as the deposition amount of all evaporated material deposited on the current substrate. The coating result can be understood as the cumulative amount of evaporated material at the corresponding coating stage. Therefore, in some embodiments, determining the target coating result for the target evaporation coating chamber, at least based on the target coating information, may include the following steps:

[0088] When the target evaporation coating chamber is the first evaporation coating chamber along the substrate moving direction, the target coating information is determined as the target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber;

[0089] When the target evaporation coating chamber is any evaporation coating chamber other than the first evaporation coating chamber, the target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber is determined based on the target coating information and the coating information of the previous evaporation coating chamber of the target evaporation coating chamber.

[0090] In this embodiment of the disclosure, if the target evaporation coating chamber is the first evaporation coating chamber along the substrate moving direction, then only the first evaporation coating chamber coats the substrate. That is, the thin film on the substrate is generated by the first evaporation coating chamber. Therefore, the coating information detected by the coating detection component that cooperates with the first evaporation coating chamber can be directly determined as the coating result of the first evaporation coating chamber.

[0091] If the target evaporation coating chamber is any evaporation coating chamber other than the first one, such as the second evaporation coating chamber, then both the first and second evaporation coating chambers will generate thin films on the substrate. The coating information detected by the target coating detection component is the information after the coating is obtained from both the first and second evaporation coating chambers. In this case, to obtain the coating result of the second evaporation coating chamber, the coating information of the first evaporation coating chamber can be removed from the coating information of the second evaporation coating chamber to obtain the coating result of the second evaporation coating chamber. Similarly, the coating information of the second evaporation coating chamber can be removed from the coating information of the third evaporation coating chamber to obtain the coating result of the third evaporation coating chamber.

[0092] Furthermore, it should be noted that in the above embodiments, when controlling the evaporation source of the target evaporation coating chamber based on the target coating result, the evaporation source of the target evaporation coating chamber can be controlled based on each determined target coating detection result, or the evaporation source of the target evaporation coating chamber can be controlled once based on the average of the multiple consecutive target coating detection results after several consecutive determinations. Controlling the evaporation source of the target evaporation coating chamber once based on the average of the multiple consecutive target coating detection results can eliminate single-time random errors and improve control accuracy.

[0093] As can be seen from the foregoing, in some embodiments, the evaporation sources disposed within the target evaporation coating chamber include macromolecular evaporation sources for evaporating macromolecular materials and small molecule evaporation sources for evaporating small molecule materials. Therefore, the target coating result includes the target macromolecular coating result corresponding to the macromolecular evaporation source and the target small molecule coating result corresponding to the small molecule evaporation source. In this case, step S630 above, controlling the evaporation sources in the target evaporation coating chamber based on the target coating result, may include the following steps:

[0094] Based on the coating results of the target macromolecule, the evaporation stability of the macromolecule evaporation source was determined.

[0095] Under the condition that the evaporation of the macromolecular evaporation source is stable, the difference between the target small molecule coating result and the corresponding standard coating result is obtained;

[0096] If the difference is greater than a preset difference threshold, control information is output to control the small molecule evaporation source in the target evaporation coating chamber;

[0097] When the evaporation of the macromolecular evaporation source is determined to be unstable, control information is output to control the macromolecular evaporation source in the target evaporation coating chamber.

[0098] Considering that macromolecular materials have a greater impact on the uniformity of coating distribution, if the evaporation stability of the macromolecular evaporation source is poor, the macromolecular evaporation source needs to be adjusted first. If the evaporation stability of the macromolecular evaporation source is good, the small molecule evaporation source can be adjusted. Therefore, in this embodiment, the evaporation stability of the macromolecular evaporation source can be determined first based on the target macromolecular coating result.

[0099] When it is determined that the macromolecular evaporation source is unstable, priority is given to controlling the macromolecular evaporation source, that is, outputting control information for controlling the macromolecular evaporation source in the target evaporation coating chamber.

[0100] The standard coating result can be a pre-set coating result that meets the process production requirements for each coating stage, based on actual process needs. Furthermore, after confirming the evaporation stability of the macromolecular material, the difference between the target small molecule coating result and the corresponding standard coating result can be obtained. If the difference is greater than a preset difference threshold, it is determined that the process settings have deviated. At this point, control information can be output to control the small molecule evaporation source in the target evaporation coating chamber.

[0101] In some implementations, when outputting control information for controlling the small molecule evaporation source in the target evaporation coating chamber, the corresponding control information can be determined based on a pre-set mapping relationship between the difference and temperature or power, thereby controlling the small molecule evaporation source in the target evaporation coating chamber.

[0102] Furthermore, as can be seen from the foregoing, in some embodiments, the evaporation source disposed within the target evaporation coating chamber includes both macromolecular evaporation sources and small molecule evaporation sources. The target coating detection component includes a first coating detection device for detecting coating information at the centerline position of the substrate, and a second coating detection device for detecting coating information at the edge position of the substrate. In this case, the method of this embodiment may further include the following steps:

[0103] The first target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber is determined based at least on the first coating information detected by the first coating detection device, and the second target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber is determined based at least on the second coating information detected by the second coating detection device.

[0104] Based on the results of the first and second target coatings, the distribution of macromolecular and small molecule materials on the substrate is determined.

[0105] When the distribution is determined to be non-uniform, control information is output to control the macromolecular evaporation source in the target evaporation coating chamber.

[0106] It is understandable that in actual processes, there are requirements for the uniformity of distribution of macromolecular and small molecule materials. Therefore, in this embodiment of the present disclosure, for a certain coating stage, the first target coating result corresponding to the target evaporation coating chamber of the coating stage can be determined at least based on the first coating information detected by the first coating detection device. The first target coating result can be understood as the coating result at the center line of the substrate in this coating stage. In addition, the second target coating result corresponding to the target evaporation coating chamber of the coating stage can be determined at least based on the second coating information detected by the second coating detection device. The second target coating result can be understood as the coating result at the edge of the substrate in this coating stage.

[0107] After determining the first and second target coating results, the distribution of macromolecular and small molecule materials on the substrate can be determined based on these results. This distribution can be either uniform or non-uniform. If the distribution is determined to be non-uniform, the macromolecular evaporation source needs adjustment. Therefore, control information can be output to control the macromolecular evaporation source in the target evaporation coating chamber.

[0108] In some implementations, determining the distribution of macromolecular and small molecule materials based on the first target coating result and the second target coating result may include the following steps:

[0109] The normalization process is performed based on the coating results of the first target and the coating results of the second target to obtain the normalized result;

[0110] Based on the normalization results and the preset range, the distribution of macromolecular and small molecule materials is determined.

[0111] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the distribution of macromolecular materials and small molecule materials on the substrate is determined by normalizing the first target coating result and the second target coating result, and further by judging whether the normalization result falls within a preset threshold range.

[0112] In some implementations, if the normalization result exceeds the preset range, the distribution is determined to be uneven. Conversely, if the normalization result is within the preset range, the distribution is determined to be uniform.

[0113] As can be seen from the foregoing, when controlling the evaporation source of the target evaporation coating chamber based on the target coating result, the evaporation source of the target evaporation coating chamber can be controlled based on each determined target coating detection result, or the evaporation source of the target evaporation coating chamber can be controlled once based on the average of multiple consecutive target coating detection results after multiple determinations. Similarly, in the embodiments of this disclosure, when determining the distribution of macromolecular and small molecule materials based on the first and second target coating results, the first target coating result can be a single first target coating result, and the second target coating result can also be a single first target coating result. A normalized result is obtained by normalizing the single first and second target coating results. Alternatively, the average of multiple first target coating results and the average of multiple second target coating results can be used, and normalization is performed based on these two averages to obtain a normalized result.

[0114] For example, calculations can be performed using the material evaporated from any evaporation source during a coating stage; for instance, when the evaporation source includes Cu, the calculations can be performed using Cu. Assume the first target coating result, where the determined Cu element is located at the center line of the substrate, is C. Cu The determined Cu element in the second target coating at the substrate edge is E. Cu From the formula (E) Cu -C Cu ) / C Cu By obtaining the normalized result and comparing whether this value falls within a preset threshold range (e.g., the preset threshold range could be between -1% and 1%), it can be determined whether process intervention is needed for the macromolecular material evaporation source. Specifically, when the normalized result is positive and exceeds the preset threshold range, increasing the evaporation power of the macromolecular evaporation source can be considered; when the normalized result is negative and exceeds the preset threshold range, decreasing the evaporation power of the macromolecular evaporation source can be considered.

[0115] In some implementations, the selected coating result can be parameters such as atomic percentage or mass density.

[0116] In some embodiments, when the evaporation source includes both macromolecular evaporation sources and small molecule evaporation sources, it is preferable to determine the distribution of macromolecular and small molecule materials on the substrate based on the first target coating result and the second target coating result corresponding to the small molecule evaporation source, thereby improving the convenience and accuracy of calculation.

[0117] The following is combined with Figure 7 The flowchart shown is for Figure 1 and Figure 2The workflow of the vacuum coating system shown is explained below:

[0118] Substrate 3 is transferred to the process area to prepare for the first step of thin film deposition (i.e., coating process). At this time, the process conditions have stabilized and substrate 3 moves forward at a constant speed.

[0119] The substrate 3 passes through the first evaporation and coating chamber 111 to complete the deposition of the preset material (assuming it is Cu, In, Ga, or Se).

[0120] The substrate 3 passes through the first coating detection component 5, which includes a first coating detection device 51 and a second coating detection device 52. Measurements are performed by the first coating detection device 51 and the second coating detection device 52 to obtain first coating information at the centerline position of the substrate 3 and second coating information at the edge position of the substrate 3. This yields the Cu, In, Ga, and Se composition, film thickness, atomic percentage, and mass density at the centerline position of the substrate 3. If any coating information deviates from a first set value, and the macromolecular material Se evaporates stably, the result is fed back to the first small molecule controller 91 to control the first small molecule evaporation source 41; otherwise, no action is taken.

[0121] Next, the film thickness of Cu was selected for normalization calculation. The formula (E) was used... Cu1 -C Cu1 ) / C Cu1 The normalized result is obtained, where E Cu1 C represents the Cu film thickness at the edge of substrate 3 after passing through the th evaporation deposition chamber 111. Cu1 This represents the Cu film thickness at the centerline of substrate 3 after passing through the first evaporation coating chamber 111. Based on the normalization result and the preset range, the distribution of macromolecular and small molecule materials is determined to determine whether the first macromolecular evaporation source 42 needs to be controlled by the first macromolecular controller 92.

[0122] Substrate 3 continues to advance to the second thin film deposition process, passing through the first evaporation coating chamber 112 to complete the deposition of the preset material (assuming it is In, Ga, or Se).

[0123] The substrate 3 passes through the second coating detection component 7, which includes a third coating detection device 71 and a fourth coating detection device 72. Measurements are performed by the third coating detection device 71 and the fourth coating detection device 72 to obtain third coating information at the centerline position of the substrate 3 and fourth coating information at the edge position of the substrate 3. Then, data processing and logical analysis are performed on the third coating information and the first coating information to obtain the coating result of the second evaporation coating chamber 112 at the centerline position of the substrate 3. Specifically, this yields the increased In, Ga, and Se composition, film thickness, atomic percentage, and mass density at the centerline position of the substrate 3 after coating by the second evaporation coating chamber 112. If any parameter deviates from the second set value, and the evaporation of the macromolecular material Se is stable, the result is fed back to the second small molecule controller 101 to control the second small molecule evaporation source 61; otherwise, no action is taken.

[0124] Simultaneously, data processing and logical analysis are performed on the fourth and second coating information to obtain the coating results at the edge of the substrate 3 corresponding to the second evaporation coating chamber 112. That is, the increased In, Ga, and Se composition, film thickness, atomic percentage, and mass density at the edge of the substrate 3 after coating in the second evaporation coating chamber 112 are obtained.

[0125] Next, the thickness of the Ga film was selected for normalization calculation. The formula (E) was used... Ga2 -C Ga2 ) / C Ga2 The normalized result is obtained, where E Ga2 C represents the increased Ga film thickness at the edge of substrate 3 after deposition in the second evaporation chamber 112. Ga2 This represents the increased Ga element film thickness at the centerline of the substrate 3 after coating in the second evaporation coating chamber 112. Based on the normalization results and preset range, the distribution of macromolecular and small molecule materials is determined to decide whether the second macromolecular evaporation source 62 needs to be controlled by the second macromolecular controller 102.

[0126] The material is discharged, and the film with the preset composition has been prepared. There are measurement values ​​for each deposition stage for reference and study. The uniformity of each deposition process and the film are all controllable.

[0127] As can be seen, in the above-mentioned vacuum coating method implemented based on the vacuum coating system provided in the embodiments of this disclosure, the substrate is completed while moving, and the substrate moves forward continuously without deceleration or stopping. The feedback process can be designed as an automatic measurement feedback system according to the process control requirements to realize real-time closed-loop control.

[0128] This invention enables online measurement and control of the film thickness and composition in each evaporation region during multi-step continuous film deposition, accurately measuring the performance of each deposition step, and achieving real-time measurement, feedback, and control of each film deposition region. This allows for precise control of each film growth step, improving product performance and production yield. It is particularly suitable for multi-step thin film deposition processes, such as the three-step deposition process for copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar cells.

[0129] Unlike traditional offline and online testing, this invention can not only control the coating process parameters in the direction of travel, but also control the coating process parameters in the width direction of the substrate, thereby achieving uniform coating in the width direction and solving the measurement and control problem of preparing large-area, high-quality, complex thin films using evaporation methods.

[0130] Considering the impact of macromolecular materials on the evaporation of other materials during the vapor deposition process, multiple coating detection devices are arranged to detect a single evaporation coating chamber, thereby achieving measurement and control of the uniformity of the thin film in the width direction and effectively improving the quality of large-area thin-film batteries.

[0131] The measurement method provided by this invention can significantly shorten the time required for process stabilization in the initial stage of coating and the time of parameter disorder caused by sudden changes in process parameters by reasonably arranging the measurement positions, thereby effectively reducing material and time costs.

[0132] The monitoring results are not affected by the substrate and are applicable to a variety of coating processes, such as glass substrates, flexible stainless steel substrates, silicon wafers, polyimide substrates and composite films.

[0133] The preferred embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this disclosure is not limited to the specific details of the above embodiments. Within the scope of the technical concept of this disclosure, various simple modifications can be made to the technical solutions of this disclosure, and these simple modifications all fall within the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0134] It should also be noted that the various specific technical features described in the above embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. To avoid unnecessary repetition, this disclosure will not describe the various possible combinations separately.

[0135] Furthermore, various different embodiments of this disclosure can be combined in any way, as long as they do not violate the spirit of this disclosure, they should also be regarded as the content disclosed in this disclosure.

Claims

1. A vacuum coating system, characterized in that, include: A vacuum chamber, a conveying device disposed inside the vacuum chamber for moving the substrate, and a heater disposed inside the vacuum chamber for heating the substrate. The vacuum chamber is also provided with multiple evaporation coating chambers along the substrate moving direction, and a coating detection component that cooperates with each evaporation coating chamber. An evaporation source is provided in each evaporation coating chamber. The controller is configured to determine the target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber that cooperates with the target coating detection component, based at least on the target coating information detected by the target coating detection component, and to control the evaporation source of the target evaporation coating chamber based on the target coating result. The target coating detection component is any coating detection component in the vacuum chamber. The controller is further configured to, when the target evaporation coating chamber is the first evaporation coating chamber along the substrate moving direction, determine the target coating information as the target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber; and when the target evaporation coating chamber is any evaporation coating chamber other than the first evaporation coating chamber, determine the target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber based on the target coating information and the coating information of the previous evaporation coating chamber of the target evaporation coating chamber. The evaporation source in the target evaporation coating chamber includes a macromolecular evaporation source for evaporating macromolecular materials and a small molecule evaporation source for evaporating small molecule materials; the target coating detection assembly includes a first coating detection device for detecting coating information at the center line position of the substrate and a second coating detection device for detecting coating information at the edge position of the substrate. The controller is further configured to determine a first target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber based at least on the first coating information detected by the first coating detection device, and to determine a second target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber based at least on the second coating information detected by the second coating detection device, and to determine the distribution of macromolecular materials and small molecule materials on the substrate based on the first target coating result and the second target coating result; and to control the macromolecular evaporation source of the target evaporation coating chamber when the distribution is determined to be uneven.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The target coating detection component includes a coating detection device for detecting coating information at a preset position on the substrate.

3. A vacuum coating method, characterized in that, A controller applied to a vacuum coating system according to any one of claims 1-2, the method comprising: Obtain the target coating information detected by the target coating detection component; The target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber is determined based at least on the target coating information. Based on the target coating result, the evaporation source of the target evaporation coating chamber is controlled; Determining the target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber based at least on the target coating information includes: When the target evaporation coating chamber is the first evaporation coating chamber along the substrate moving direction, the target coating information is determined as the target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber; When the target evaporation coating chamber is any evaporation coating chamber other than the first evaporation coating chamber, the target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber is determined based on the target coating information and the coating information of the previous evaporation coating chamber of the target evaporation coating chamber. The evaporation source disposed within the target evaporation coating chamber includes a macromolecular evaporation source and a small molecule evaporation source. The target coating detection assembly includes a first coating detection device for detecting coating information at the centerline position of the substrate and a second coating detection device for detecting coating information at the edge position of the substrate. The method further includes: The first target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber is determined based at least on the first coating information detected by the first coating detection device, and the second target coating result of the target evaporation coating chamber is determined based at least on the second coating information detected by the second coating detection device. Based on the first target coating result and the second target coating result, the distribution of macromolecular materials and small molecule materials on the substrate is determined; When the distribution is determined to be uneven, control information is output to control the macromolecular evaporation source in the target evaporation coating chamber.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The target coating result includes the target macromolecular coating result corresponding to the macromolecular evaporation source and the target small molecule coating result corresponding to the small molecule evaporation source. The step of controlling the evaporation source of the target evaporation coating chamber based on the target coating result includes: Based on the coating results of the target macromolecule, the evaporation stability of the macromolecule evaporation source is determined; Under the condition that the evaporation of the macromolecule evaporation source is stable, the difference between the target small molecule coating result and the corresponding standard coating result is obtained; If the difference is greater than a preset difference threshold, control information is output to control the small molecule evaporation source in the target evaporation coating chamber.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: If it is determined that the macromolecular evaporation source is unstable, control information is output to control the macromolecular evaporation source in the target evaporation coating chamber.

6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step of determining the distribution of macromolecular and small molecule materials based on the first target coating result and the second target coating result includes: The normalization process is performed based on the first target coating result and the second target coating result to obtain the normalized result; Based on the normalization results and the preset range, the distribution of the macromolecular materials and small molecule materials is determined.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The step of determining the distribution of the macromolecular and small molecule materials based on the normalization result and the preset range includes: If the normalization result exceeds the preset range, the distribution is determined to be uneven.

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