Vapor source, nozzle, and method for depositing vapor deposition material on

Abstract

A vapor source (50) for depositing an evaporation material on a substrate is provided. The vapor source comprises a vapor distribution tube (60) having a plurality of nozzles, where at least one nozzle (100) of the plurality of nozzles comprises: a nozzle body having a nozzle channel extending along a nozzle axis (A) for releasing vapor deposition material through a nozzle orifice; and a shield portion (150) connected to and in thermal contact with the nozzle body, the shield portion having an aperture for passing a low-angle portion of the vapor deposition material toward the substrate. At least one transverse opening (165) is provided between the shielding portion and the nozzle body for passing a high angle portion of the vapor deposition material, in particular towards a wall of the material collector. A nozzle for a vapor source and a method of depositing a vapor deposition material on a substrate are further described.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatus and methods for directing an evaporation material to a substrate in a vacuum chamber of a vacuum deposition system. Specifically, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a vapor source having a plurality of nozzles for directing an evaporation material (e.g., an organic material) to a substrate to deposit the material on the substrate. Other embodiments relate to nozzles for a vapor source, a vacuum deposition system having a vapor source, and a method for depositing an evaporation material on a substrate in a vacuum chamber. Embodiments particularly relate to depositing a pixel pattern on a substrate and to a deposition source and system for manufacturing an organic light emitting diode (OLED) device. Background Art

[0002] Techniques for depositing layers on substrates include, for example, thermal evaporation, physical vapor deposition (PVD), and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The coated substrates can be used in a variety of applications and in a variety of technical fields. For example, the coated substrates can be used in the field of organic light emitting diode (OLED) devices. OLEDs can be used to manufacture television screens, computer monitors, mobile phones, other handheld devices, etc. for displaying information. An OLED device (such as an OLED display) can include one or more layers of organic material located between two electrodes that are all deposited on a substrate.

[0003] During deposition, the substrate may be supported, for example, in a vertical orientation on a carrier that carries the substrate. Steam from a steam source may be directed to the substrate through a mask (e.g., a fine metal mask (FMM) or a mask layer disposed on the substrate) to produce a patterned film on the substrate. One or more materials may be deposited on the substrate to produce small pixels that are individually addressable to produce functional devices such as full-color displays. It is beneficial for display quality that clearly defined pixels with nearly vertical walls and uniform thickness are produced over the entire area of ​​the pixel. In order to achieve such a result, the steam molecules should advantageously not be obstructed by the edges of the mask openings ("shadowing effect"), which will result in pixels with rounded edges.

[0004] In practice, this means that the vapor molecule trajectories from the nozzle onto the substrate should advantageously be perpendicular to the plane of the substrate or lie within a defined angular range to the normal, such as 30° or less. In other words, the vapor plume directed toward the substrate should not diverge strongly, and the vapor molecules should not hit the substrate at a grazing angle, but rather should have a defined directivity corresponding to or close to the substrate normal. It is challenging to provide a nozzle that emits the evaporated material uniformly within a directional cone around the substrate normal at a sufficiently high rate.

[0005] Placing a cooling shield between the vapor source and the substrate can improve deposition quality, however, the cooling shield requires periodic cleaning because material condenses and accumulates on the cooling shield, so that the run time of the vapor source is negatively affected.

[0006] In view of the above, it would be beneficial to have an improved device and method for depositing a material on a substrate. Embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to provide a vapor source, nozzle, and method for depositing a material that overcome at least some of the above problems. Specifically, the deposition quality should be improved and the operating time of the system should be increased. Summary of the invention

[0007] In view of the foregoing, a vapor source for depositing an evaporation material on a substrate, a nozzle for directing the evaporation material toward the substrate, and a method for depositing an evaporation material on a substrate are provided.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a steam source for depositing an evaporation material on a substrate is provided. The steam source includes a steam distribution pipe having a plurality of nozzles, wherein at least one of the plurality of nozzles includes: a nozzle body having a nozzle channel extending along a nozzle axis (A) for releasing the evaporation material through a nozzle orifice; and a shielding portion connected to and in thermal contact with the nozzle body, the shielding portion having an aperture for allowing a low-angle portion of the evaporation material to pass toward the substrate. At least one lateral opening is provided between the shielding portion and the nozzle body for allowing a high-angle portion of the evaporation material to pass.

[0009] A "low-angle portion" of the evaporated material released through the nozzle orifice may be understood as a portion of the evaporated material having a trajectory along and / or close to the nozzle axis A (e.g., 30° or less relative to the nozzle axis) (e.g., spreading toward the substrate within a cone centered on the nozzle axis). A "high-angle portion" of the evaporated material released through the nozzle orifice may be understood as a portion of the evaporated material having a trajectory at a higher angle relative to the nozzle axis than the low-angle portion (e.g., 35° or more relative to the nozzle axis and 90° or less relative to the nozzle axis).

[0010] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a nozzle for directing an evaporation material toward a substrate is disclosed. The nozzle includes: a nozzle body having a nozzle channel extending along a nozzle axis for releasing the evaporation material through a nozzle orifice; and a shielding portion connected to and in thermal contact with the nozzle body, the shielding portion having an aperture for passing a first portion of the evaporation material toward the substrate. At least one lateral opening is provided between the shielding portion and the nozzle body for passing a second portion of the evaporation material.

[0011] In some embodiments, a first portion of the evaporated material passing through the aperture can be a low angle portion that exits the nozzle channel at a low angle relative to the nozzle axis A, and a second portion of the evaporated material passing through the at least one lateral opening can be a high angle portion that exits the nozzle channel at a higher angle relative to the nozzle axis than the low angle portion. The aperture can be centered on the nozzle axis and can be arranged downstream of the nozzle orifice. In some embodiments, a third portion of the evaporated material can be blocked (and optionally reflected) by the shielding portion, wherein the third portion can exit the nozzle channel within an angular range between the low angle portion and the high angle portion.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for depositing an evaporation material on a substrate in a vacuum chamber using a vapor source is disclosed, the vapor source comprising a vapor distribution pipe having a plurality of nozzles. The method comprises: guiding the evaporation material along a nozzle axis (A) through a nozzle channel extending through a nozzle body of at least one of the plurality of nozzles and releasing the evaporation material through a nozzle orifice, wherein a low-angle portion of the evaporation material released by the nozzle orifice diffuses toward the substrate through apertures of a shielding portion connected to and in thermal contact with the nozzle body, and a high-angle portion of the evaporation material released by the nozzle orifice diffuses through at least one lateral opening disposed between the shielding portion and the nozzle body.

[0013] Embodiments also relate to apparatus for performing the disclosed methods and include apparatus parts for performing each described method aspect. These method aspects can be performed by hardware components, computers programmed by appropriate software, any combination of the two, or in any other manner. In addition, embodiments according to the present disclosure also relate to methods for operating the described apparatus. The methods for operating the described apparatus include method aspects for performing each function of the apparatus. Embodiments also relate to methods for manufacturing processed substrates (particularly coated substrates) in vacuum deposition systems described herein and substrates (such as OLED substrates, particularly OLED displays) manufactured according to these methods and / or using systems described herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] In order to be able to understand in detail the manner in which the above-mentioned features of the present disclosure are achieved, a more particular description of the present disclosure briefly summarized above may be made by reference to embodiments. The accompanying drawings relate to embodiments of the present disclosure and are described below:

[0015] Figure 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of a steam source according to embodiments described herein;

[0016] Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a nozzle according to an embodiment described herein;

[0017] Figure 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of a steam source according to embodiments described herein;

[0018] Figure 4 shows a schematic front view and a schematic cross-sectional view of a material collector for a steam source according to an embodiment described herein;

[0019] Figure 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a vacuum deposition system having a vapor source having multiple nozzles according to embodiments described herein;

[0020] Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method for depositing an evaporation material on a substrate according to an embodiment described herein; and

[0021] Figure 7 is a graph showing the integrated intensity of the evaporated material as a function of the angle of the trajectory of the vapor molecules relative to the nozzle axis. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present disclosure, one or more examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. In the following description of the drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same parts. Generally, only the differences with respect to the various embodiments are described. Each example is provided by way of explanation, but this is not meant to limit the present disclosure. Features depicted or described as part of one embodiment may be used on other embodiments or used in conjunction with other embodiments to produce yet another embodiment. This specification is intended to include such modifications and changes.

[0023] As used herein, the term "evaporation material" may be understood as a material that is evaporated and deposited on the surface of a substrate. For example, the evaporation material may be an organic material that is deposited on a substrate to form an optically active layer of an OLED device. The material may be deposited in a predetermined pattern, for example, by using a mask having a plurality of openings (e.g., a fine metal mask, FMM, or a mask layer disposed on a substrate held in front of the substrate). A plurality of pixels may be deposited on the substrate. Other examples of evaporation materials include one or more of the following: ITO, NPD, Alq3, and metals such as silver (Ag), magnesium (Mg), lithium (Li), or ytterbium (Yb).

[0024] As used herein, the term "steam source" or "evaporation source" may be understood as an arrangement that provides an evaporation material to be deposited on a substrate. In particular, the steam source may be configured to guide the evaporation material to be deposited on the substrate into a deposition area in a vacuum chamber. The evaporation material may be directed toward the substrate via a plurality of nozzles of the steam source. The nozzles may each have a nozzle outlet (also referred to herein as a "nozzle orifice") that may point toward the deposition area, in particular the substrate to be coated. Figure 5 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a vapor source 50 having a plurality of nozzles for directing the vapor deposition material toward the substrate 10 .

[0025] Each of the plurality of nozzles may have a nozzle channel extending along a respective nozzle axis A toward a nozzle orifice from which the evaporated material is released (typically in the form of a vapor cone or vapor plume) into the deposition region. If not otherwise stated, the material emission angle from the nozzle orifice is relative to the nozzle axis A of the respective nozzle. Thus, a low emission angle is an angle close to the nozzle axis A (corresponding to a vapor trajectory that strikes the substrate substantially vertically or in a cone that is close to vertical, see Figure 5 ), and a high emission angle is a high angle relative to the nozzle axis A (corresponding to a vapor trajectory having a high angle relative to the substrate normal).

[0026] The present disclosure generally describes details and features of "at least one nozzle" of a plurality of nozzles of a steam distribution pipe. However, it should be understood that two, three, five, ten or all of the plurality of nozzles of a steam source may be constructed and built in a corresponding manner and may have corresponding features. Specifically, all nozzles of a steam distribution pipe may be configured according to at least one nozzle described herein.

[0027] The vapor source may include an evaporator (or "crucible") that heats and evaporates the material to be deposited on the substrate, and a vapor distribution tube that is fluidly connected to the crucible and configured to direct the evaporated material to a plurality of nozzles to release plumes of the evaporated material into a deposition area in a vacuum chamber.

[0028] In some embodiments, the steam source comprises two or more distribution pipes, wherein each distribution pipe comprises a plurality of nozzles. For example, each distribution pipe comprises two or more nozzles, particularly ten or more nozzles, more particularly thirty or more nozzles. The nozzles of the steam distribution pipes can be arranged in a linear array or in rows, thereby providing a line source. In some embodiments, the steam source comprises two or more steam distribution pipes arranged adjacent to each other, wherein each of the two or more steam distribution pipes comprises ten or more nozzles arranged in rows, for example, three distribution pipes arranged adjacent to each other, wherein each of the three steam distribution pipes comprises ten or more nozzles arranged in rows.

[0029] The term "vapor distribution pipe" may be understood as a pipe or tube for guiding and distributing the evaporated material. In particular, the distribution pipe may guide the evaporated material from the crucible to a plurality of nozzles, which may extend through the side wall of the distribution pipe. For example, a plurality of nozzles may be mounted at openings in the vapor distribution pipe, for example screwed into the openings via threads. Each nozzle may include a nozzle orifice for releasing the evaporated material into the vacuum chamber along a main emission direction toward the substrate, which main emission direction may correspond to a nozzle axis (A) substantially perpendicular to the substrate surface.

[0030] According to embodiments described herein, the steam distribution pipe may be a linear distribution pipe extending in a longitudinal direction, in particular in a substantially vertical direction (V). In some embodiments, the steam distribution pipe may include a pipe having a cross-sectional shape of a cylinder. The cylinder may have a circular bottom shape or other suitable bottom shape, such as a substantially triangular bottom shape. In particular, the steam distribution pipe may have a substantially triangular cross-sectional shape.

[0031] The term "reflection" (e.g. "reflection of the evaporated material from the surface") describes the process by which particles of the evaporated material are adsorbed on a hot surface and eventually desorbed from the surface. The distribution profile of the desorption process is symmetrically centered on the surface normal, and thus the evaporated material is mainly reflected at the surface in the direction of the surface normal to the surface. The desorption rate depends on the temperature of the surface. The ratio of adsorption to desorption depends on the temperature and can be adjusted by adjusting the temperature of the surface.

[0032] In some embodiments, the steam source may include two or three steam distribution pipes extending in a substantially vertical direction (V), respectively. Each distribution pipe may be fluidly connected to a corresponding crucible so that different materials can be co-deposited on the substrate. The nozzle of a first steam distribution pipe and the nozzle of an adjacent second steam distribution pipe may be arranged close to each other (e.g., at a distance of 5 cm or less), so that two or more materials can be uniformly co-deposited on the substrate.

[0033] According to embodiments described herein, at least one nozzle for directing an evaporation material toward a substrate comprises: a nozzle body having a nozzle channel extending along a nozzle axis for releasing the evaporation material through a nozzle orifice; and a shielding portion connected to the nozzle body and in thermal contact with the nozzle body. The shielding portion provides an aperture for passing a first angular portion of the evaporation material toward the substrate (particularly a low-angle portion of the released evaporation material), and at least one lateral opening is provided between the shielding portion and the nozzle body for passing a second angular portion of the evaporation material (particularly a high-angle portion of the released evaporation material).

[0034] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of a vapor source 50 for depositing an evaporation material on a substrate 10 according to an embodiment described herein. The entire vapor source 50 is as shown in FIG. Figure 5 Depicted.

[0035] The steam source 50 includes a steam distribution pipe 60, which may extend in a substantially vertical direction V. Alternatively, the steam distribution pipe may extend in another direction, such as a substantially horizontal direction. Figure 1 and Figure 5 In the depicted embodiment, the vapor distribution tube 60 provides a substantially vertical line source. A substantially vertically extending vapor distribution tube 60 may be beneficial because the footprint of the system may be reduced and a compact and space-saving deposition system may be provided.

[0036] In some embodiments, the steam source 50 includes two or more steam distribution pipes supported on a common support. In some embodiments, the steam source can be movable. In other embodiments, the steam source can be fixed and the substrate can move past the steam source. The (multiple) steam distribution pipes of the steam source can extend in a substantially vertical direction. As used herein, "substantially vertical" refers to a direction corresponding to the direction of gravity or a deviation angle of 15° or less from the direction of gravity.

[0037] The steam distribution pipe 60 includes a plurality of nozzles for directing the evaporation material toward the substrate 10. Specifically, the plurality of nozzles allow the evaporation material to be directed from the inner space of the steam distribution pipe 60 to the deposition area 70 in the vacuum chamber where the substrate 10 is arranged. In some embodiments, ten or more nozzles, in particular thirty or more nozzles, may be provided at the steam distribution pipe 60. The plurality of nozzles may be arranged in the longitudinal direction of the steam distribution pipe 60, for example, one above the other, in a straight line (see further details in this regard). Figure 5 ).

[0038] exist Figure 1 , at least one nozzle 100 of the plurality of nozzles is shown in detail in a cross-sectional view. Figure 2 A perspective view of at least one nozzle 100 is shown. Other nozzles in the plurality of nozzles may be configured in a similar or corresponding manner. At least one nozzle 100 includes a nozzle body 110 having a nozzle channel 120, which extends through the nozzle body 110 from a nozzle inlet 121 along a nozzle axis A to a nozzle orifice 122. Evaporation material from the steam distribution pipe 60 may enter the nozzle channel 120 at the nozzle inlet 121. The evaporation material may flow through the nozzle channel 120 along the nozzle axis A toward the nozzle orifice 122, and the evaporation material may exit the nozzle channel 120 through the nozzle orifice 122. As shown in FIG. Figure 1As schematically depicted in , the nozzle orifice 122 may be configured to emit a vapor plume of evaporated material into the deposition region 70 .

[0039] According to the embodiments described herein, at least one nozzle 100 further comprises a shielding portion 150, which is connected to the nozzle body 110 and in thermal contact with the nozzle body. The shielding portion 150 comprises a pore 140 for passing a first angular portion (low angle portion (I)) of the evaporated material released by the nozzle orifice 122 toward the substrate 10. A second portion (high angle portion (II)) of the evaporated material released by the nozzle orifice 122 can pass through at least one lateral opening 165 disposed between the nozzle body 110 and the shielding portion 150. The second portion can leave the nozzle laterally without further diffusing toward the substrate. Thus, highly divergent vapor molecules that would have a negative impact on the deposition quality are not used to coat the substrate. Optionally, a third angular portion (III) of the evaporated material, particularly within the angular range between the first portion and the second portion, can be blocked and / or reflected by the shielding portion 150. As used herein, a "high angle portion" may refer to a corresponding vapor trajectory that generally has a greater angle relative to the nozzle axis A than the trajectory of the "low angle portion".

[0040] Since the shielding portion 150 is in thermal contact with the nozzle body 110, the shielding portion 150 can be heated together with the nozzle body 110, so that the condensation and accumulation of the evaporation material on the shielding portion 150 during the operation of the nozzle can be reduced or avoided. In some embodiments, when blocked by the shielding portion, the evaporation material can be back-reflected and / or scattered from the shielding portion. In particular, the nozzle body 110 is usually maintained at a temperature higher than the condensation temperature of the evaporation material during the operation of the nozzle to avoid the condensation of the evaporation material in the nozzle channel 120, which can block the nozzle channel. If the shielding portion 150 is fixed at the nozzle body 110 and is in thermal contact with the nozzle body, the nozzle body 110 can heat the shielding portion 150 to a temperature higher than the condensation temperature. Since the evaporation material does not accumulate on the shielding portion 150, it is generally not necessary to clean the shielding portion 150 regularly. The operating time of the system can be increased, and the idle time of the system for replacing or cleaning the shielding portion can be reduced or avoided. Furthermore, when the shielding part is connected to the nozzle body 110 and in thermal contact with said nozzle body, no separate heater is required to heat the shielding part, since the shielding part is heated together with the nozzle body, in particular via thermal contact with the heated dispensing tube.

[0041] The shielding portion 150 may be made of a heat conductive material (e.g., metal), and the shielding portion 150 may be connected to the nozzle body 110 via a retaining portion 155 made of a heat conductive material (e.g., metal) so as to be in thermal contact with the nozzle body. In addition, the nozzle body 110 (particularly the entire nozzle) may be made of a heat conductive material (e.g., metal), so that the nozzle including the shielding portion can be heated by contact with the steam distribution pipe 60, which is usually heated.

[0042] The shielding part 150 with the aperture 140 can be arranged downstream of the nozzle orifice 122, so that the plume of the evaporated material emitted by the nozzle orifice 122 can be shaped by the aperture 140 of the shielding part 150, and the directionality of the vapor plume diffused toward the substrate can be improved. In particular, vapor molecules diffused along a trajectory having a divergence angle greater than a first maximum divergence angle θ defined by the aperture opening cannot diffuse through the aperture 140, for example toward a material pile or a material collector, and are blocked by the shielding part 150 and / or pass through the at least one lateral opening 165. An "aperture" can be understood as an opening surrounded by a shielding wall of the shielding part 150, so that the evaporated material impinging on the shielding wall (due to the emission angle relative to the nozzle axis A being greater than the first maximum divergence angle) is blocked and does not diffuse further toward the substrate. A low-angle portion of the evaporated material diffused close to the nozzle axis A can pass through the aperture toward the substrate. Evaporated material released at higher angles relative to the nozzle axis (which would reduce deposition quality) cannot diffuse through the apertures 140 and is blocked by the shielding portion 150 or through the at least one lateral opening 165 .

[0043] The deposition quality can be improved because the plume of the evaporated material released from the nozzle orifice is shaped by the aperture 140 of the shielding portion 150 and only the evaporated material having a trajectory within a limited angular range relative to the nozzle axis A (low-angle trajectory) is allowed to pass through the aperture 140 to the substrate.

[0044] Compared to a cold shielding device between the nozzle and the substrate for shaping the emitted vapor plume, the shielding portion of at least one nozzle according to the embodiments described herein is in thermal contact with the nozzle body and is therefore heated during operation of the nozzle, so that it is not necessary to clean the shielding portion at regular intervals, and the operating time of the system can be increased. For example, the nozzle 100 with the shielding portion 150 can be operated for 500 hours or more, in particular 1000 hours or more, or even 2000 hours or more without clogging.

[0045] Compared to a "shaped nozzle" having a circumferentially closed shaped cavity for vapor plume shaping, the shield portion 150 of at least one nozzle according to the embodiments described herein is maintained downstream of the nozzle orifice, with at least one lateral opening between the nozzle body and the shield portion, so that the high-angle portion of the released evaporated material can laterally exit the nozzle and not diffuse further toward the substrate. It is beneficial to remove the high-angle portion laterally from the nozzle because the high-angle portion may negatively affect the deposition quality, cause shadowing effects and impair deposition uniformity.

[0046] According to some embodiments described herein, a first portion (low angle portion) of the evaporated material released by the nozzle orifice is allowed to pass through the aperture 140 toward the substrate to coat the substrate. A second portion (high angle portion) of the evaporated material released by the nozzle orifice passes through at least one lateral opening 165 and exits the nozzle laterally, for example, diffuses toward a material collector. A third portion of the evaporated material released by the nozzle orifice (particularly having an angle in a range between the first portion and the second portion) may impinge on the shielding surface 185 of the shielding portion 150 and may optionally be scattered and / or back-reflected by the shielding portion back to the nozzle body. Optionally, the front surface 130 of the nozzle body 110 may then at least partially scatter and / or reflect the third portion in a direction through the at least one lateral opening 165 (e.g., toward a material collector).

[0047] In some embodiments, the nozzle body 110 may include a front surface 130 surrounding the nozzle orifice 122 and / or facing the shield portion 150. The front surface 130 may optionally be shaped so that the evaporated material impinging on the front surface 130 is primarily reflected away from the nozzle axis A, in particular through the at least one lateral opening 165. In some embodiments, the front surface 130 is at least one of curved, convex, and formed as a spherical surface, in particular a segment of a sphere substantially centered on the nozzle axis A.

[0048] In some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the shield portion 150 includes an annular body 175 that defines the aperture 140 (circumferentially surrounds the aperture 140 and defines an aperture diameter D1) and is arranged downstream of the nozzle orifice 122 and centered on the nozzle axis A. Figure 2, the annular body 175 may surround the aperture 140 like a torus. In particular, the annular body 175 may annularly surround and define the aperture 140, which may be a circular aperture. The nozzle axis A may pass through the center of the circular aperture, so that the evaporated material starting from the nozzle orifice 122 in a substantially cone-shaped manner may diffuse through the aperture 140. The cone defined by the nozzle orifice 122 and the aperture 140 may have a vertex angle corresponding to the first maximum divergence angle θ, which means that (only) the evaporated material diffused from the nozzle orifice 122 at an angle θ or less relative to the nozzle axis A passes through the aperture 140. In some embodiments, θ may be 40° or less, in particular 30° or less, more in particular 20° or less, or even less than 20°.

[0049] In some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the aperture 140 is circular and provides a cone angle (= first maximum divergence angle θ) of 10° or greater and 60° or less, particularly 20° or greater and 40° or less, relative to the nozzle orifice 122 to allow a low-angle portion of the evaporated material to pass toward the substrate 10.

[0050] In some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the annular body 175 has a shielding surface 185 that may be directed toward the nozzle orifice 122. The shielding surface 185 may block the evaporated material that impinges on the shielding surface. During operation of the nozzle, the shielding surface 185 may be above the condensation temperature of the evaporated material so that the evaporated material that impinges on the shielding surface does not accumulate on the shielding surface. In some implementations, the shielding surface 185 is formed to scatter and / or back-reflect the evaporated material that impinges on the shielding surface 185, particularly toward the nozzle body (e.g., toward the front surface 130 of the nozzle body and / or backward toward the nozzle orifice 122).

[0051] In some embodiments, the shielding surface 185 of the shielding portion 150 can be curved and / or concave, particularly facilitating back reflection of the material substantially in the incident direction. In particular, the shielding surface 185 can be formed as a spherical surface, particularly a segment of a sphere substantially centered on the nozzle axis (e.g., centered on the nozzle orifice 122). Back reflection of the evaporated material in the direction toward the front surface 130 of the nozzle body 110 is facilitated. The material can then be reflected from the front surface 130 of the nozzle body and can optionally exit the nozzle laterally through the at least one lateral opening 165.

[0052] In some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the shield portion 150 is connected to the nozzle body 110 via a retaining portion 155 that is connected, in particular attached, to the nozzle body 110. The retaining portion 155 may be configured to maintain the shield portion 150 in thermal contact with the nozzle body 110 at a position in front of the nozzle orifice 122. For example, the retaining portion 155 may include one or more support rods 160 for maintaining the shield portion at a position spaced from the nozzle orifice 122 downstream of the nozzle orifice. Figure 2 As schematically depicted in FIG, the retaining portion 155 may include three support rods 160 that retain the shielding portion 150 at a position spaced apart from and downstream of the nozzle orifice 122. One or more support rods 160 may extend substantially parallel to the nozzle axis A and may be disposed at different positions of the circumference of the nozzle body for reliably retaining the shielding portion at a position centered on the nozzle axis A. Specifically, the shielding portion 150 may be formed as an annular body 175, and two, three or more support rods 160 may extend from the circumference of the annular body 175 toward the nozzle body 110 to connect with the nozzle body 110 at a joint section 135 of the nozzle body 110. The joint section 135 of the nozzle body 110 may optionally be disposed at the outer circumference of the nozzle body 110 and / or may annularly surround the nozzle axis A.

[0053] In some implementations, one or more support rods 160 may define at least one lateral opening 165 therebetween, the at least one lateral opening allowing the evaporated material to exit the nozzle laterally, for example toward a material collector. In particular, two, three, or more lateral openings for allowing a high-angle portion of the evaporated material to pass may be formed between two, three, or more support rods that extend substantially parallel to the nozzle axis at different locations of the circumference of the nozzle axis. In particular, each space between two adjacent support rods may correspond to a lateral opening. Figure 2 In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, three support rods are provided to hold the shielding portion 150, and three lateral openings are formed between corresponding two adjacent support rods of the three support rods. The annular body 175 can be reliably held in position in front of the nozzle body while maintaining thermal contact between the annular body and the nozzle body via the holding portion.

[0054] The at least one lateral opening 165 may be arranged such that a high-angle portion of the evaporated material released by the nozzle orifice 122 may pass through the at least one lateral opening to exit the nozzle laterally. The high-angle portion may be a portion of the evaporated material released by the nozzle orifice 122, wherein the trajectory is at an angle of, for example, 40° or more, in particular 50° or more, relative to the nozzle axis A and / or at an angle of 90° or less relative to the nozzle axis.

[0055] In some embodiments, the shield portion 150 and the retaining portion 155 are integrally formed, for example, as an integral component (e.g., as a unitary metal component). Optionally, the retaining portion 155 may include a retaining ring attached to the annular engagement section 135 of the nozzle body. The retaining portion 155 may be attached to the nozzle body 110 by threaded fastening, by thermal expansion and subsequent contraction, or other suitable fastening mechanisms. In the depicted example, the retaining portion 155 includes a retaining ring mounted at the annular engagement section 135 of the nozzle body, and a support rod of the retaining portion 155 extends substantially parallel to the nozzle axis A between the retaining ring and the ring body of the shield portion.

[0056] In some embodiments, the shielding portion 150 is in thermal contact with the nozzle body 110 and is heated by thermal conduction. For example, the shielding portion 150 and / or the retaining portion 155 may be made of a material having an appropriate thermal conductivity that allows heat to be conducted to the shielding portion 150 via the nozzle body 110. The nozzle body 110 may generally be heated directly or indirectly during operation of the nozzle so that the evaporated material does not condense within the nozzle channel.

[0057] The evaporation material released by the nozzle orifice 122 can be uniformly released as a plume of evaporation material. The plume of evaporation material can be shaped by the shielding portion 150. In particular, the aperture 140 shapes the plume of evaporation material. In some embodiments, only a low-angle portion of the evaporation material enters the deposition area 70 through the aperture.

[0058] The evaporated material impinges on the substrate in a manner that deviates from the surface normal. For high deviations, a shadow effect is produced when a mask is used in the evaporation process, and a slope is produced at the edge of the deposited feature. The shadow effect reduces the quality of the deposited pattern, which may be an OLED pattern. By using a vapor source and nozzle as described herein, the maximum deviation can be limited by the shielding portion, and the shadow effect can be reduced, which improves the deposition quality.

[0059] In some embodiments, the aperture may be rotationally symmetrical with respect to the nozzle axis A, in particular circular, wherein the nozzle axis extends through the center of the circle. The plume of the evaporated material may be shaped in a rotationally symmetrical manner. The deviation angle of the evaporated material impinging on the substrate may be controlled and limited by the aperture of the shielding portion.

[0060] The apertures 140 may be provided as circular openings in a shield portion completely surrounded by an annular body so that the steam plume diffusing through the apertures 140 is shaped circumferentially, particularly two-dimensionally (eg, in a vertical direction and in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the nozzle axis).

[0061] In some implementations, a mask (not shown) may be arranged between the vapor source 50 and the substrate 10, wherein the mask may be provided as a mask layer on the substrate surface or may be a fine metal mask FMM having an opening pattern that defines a pixel pattern to be deposited on the substrate. For example, the mask may have 100,000 or more openings, particularly 1,000,000 or more openings.

[0062] If the mask is used to deposit material on a substrate such as in an OLED production system, the mask can be a pixel mask having a pixel opening of about 50 μm×50 μm or less in size. In one example, the pixel mask can have a thickness of about 40 μm. During evaporation, the mask is typically in contact with the substrate 10. However, considering the thickness of the mask and the size of the pixel opening, a shadow effect may occur when the wall surrounding the pixel opening shields the outer portion of the pixel opening. The nozzle as described herein can limit the maximum impact angle of the evaporated material on the mask and substrate and reduce the shadow effect.

[0063] According to some embodiments described herein, the substrate may be coated with material in a substantially vertical orientation. Typically, the distribution tube is configured as a line source extending substantially vertically. In the embodiments described herein that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the term "vertically" should be understood as allowing deviations from the vertical direction of 15° or less, such as 10° or less, particularly when referring to the substrate orientation or extension direction of the distribution tube. A deviation from the direction of gravity may be provided because a substrate arranged to have some deviation from the vertical orientation may result in a more stable deposition process. The surface of the substrate is coated by a line source extending in a direction corresponding to a substrate size and by providing the substrate to be coated by a translational movement of the line source along another direction corresponding to another substrate size.

[0064] Figure 3 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of a steam source according to an embodiment described herein. At least one nozzle 100 of the steam source is disposed together with a material collector 200. Figure 3 , it is shown that the material collector is arranged behind at least one lateral opening 165 of at least one nozzle 100 . Figure 3 The at least one nozzle 100 shown in FIG. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The nozzle described in the figure corresponds to that in the figure, so please refer to the above explanation and will not repeat it here.

[0065] In some embodiments, the vapor source includes a material collector 200, which is arranged behind the at least one lateral opening 165 and is configured to collect the second portion (=high angle portion (II)) of the vapor deposition material that has passed through the at least one lateral opening 165. "Behind" the at least one lateral opening 165 can be understood as downstream of the at least one lateral opening 165 in the diffusion direction of the vapor deposition material. In particular, the material collector 200 may include a wall 230, and the vapor deposition material that collides with the wall may be adsorbed on the wall.

[0066] In some embodiments, the material collector 200 may not be thermally connected to the nozzle 100. The material collector may be disposed at a distance δ from at least one nozzle 100, for example, partially or completely surrounding the nozzle in a circumferential direction. Optionally, the material collector 200 may be cooled so that the evaporation material is adsorbed / adhered to the material collector.

[0067] In some embodiments, a cooling device for cooling the material collector is provided so that the evaporated material condenses when it hits the material collector. For example, the material collector can be actively or passively cooled with a cooling medium such as water or a cooling gas. Specifically, a cooling line for the cooling medium can extend through the material collector. Even if the nozzle 100 is being operated and heated, the wall 230 can be maintained at a temperature equal to or lower than the condensation temperature of the evaporated material.

[0068] In some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the material collector may be passively cooled. For example, the material collector may be in thermal contact with another part or component, which may be actively cooled, for example, with a cooling medium, such as cooling water flowing through a cooling line. In particular, the material collector may be screwed onto the actively cooled component. In some embodiments, the material collector is thermally separated from the nozzle, i.e., is not in contact with the nozzle body and the shielding part and is also not in contact with the heated part of the dispensing tube.

[0069] In some embodiments, the wall 230 of the material collector 200 may be a cylindrical wall at least partially or completely surrounding the nozzle in a circumferential direction around the nozzle axis. In particular, the material collector 200 may provide an inner cylindrical wall (circumferentially) surrounding the region between the nozzle body and the shielding portion, wherein the at least one transverse opening 165 is located.

[0070] For example, the material collector 200 may include a cooled or coolable body having at least one hole (e.g., a cylindrical hole having a cylindrical wall) disposed therein, and the wall 230 of the hole may be arranged behind the at least one lateral opening 165 for adhering the high-angle portion (II) of the evaporated material. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the nozzle 100, in particular the front portion of the nozzle body 110, the holding portion 155, and / or the shielding portion 150 may at least partially protrude into the hole of the material collector 200. Thus, the high-angle portion of the evaporated material diffused through the at least one lateral opening 165 may collide with the wall 230 of the hole and adhere to the wall by adsorption.

[0071] The diameter of the hole D4 may be greater than the diameter D2 of the shield portion 150 and / or greater than the diameter D3 of the nozzle body 110, so that the shield portion and / or the nozzle body may at least partially protrude into the hole of the material collector 200. Thus, the lateral opening(s) may be circumferentially surrounded by the wall 230 of the hole.

[0072] The axial dimension of the material collector 200 may be such that the high angle portion (II) of the evaporated material passing through the at least one lateral opening 165 is substantially completely blocked by the wall 230 of the material collector, thereby hindering the diffusion of the high angle portion toward the substrate.

[0073] In some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the diameter D1 of the aperture 140 may be 5 mm or more and 30 mm or less. The distance between the nozzle body 110 and the shielding portion 150 (measured along the nozzle axis) may be 5 mm or more and 30 mm or less, in particular 10 mm or more and 20 mm or less. In some embodiments, the maximum outer diameter D2 of the shielding portion 150 and / or the maximum outer diameter D3 of the nozzle body 110 may be 10 mm or more and 30 mm or less, for example 15 mm or more and 25 mm or less. In some embodiments, the diameter D2 of the shielding portion may substantially correspond to the diameter D3 of the nozzle body. In some embodiments, the diameter D4 of the hole into which the nozzle in the material collector 200 at least partially protrudes may be greater than D2 and / or greater than D3. In some embodiments, the diameter of the nozzle channel 120 may be 1 mm or more and 15 mm or less, for example between 1.5 mm and 10 mm.

[0074] As described above, in some embodiments, the steam source 50 may have a plurality of nozzles, each of which is configured according to at least one nozzle 100. Figure 4 Front view of Figure 4 The upper part of the Figure 4A material collector 200 is schematically depicted in the lower portion of FIG. 1 ), which is configured to block a high-angle portion of each of a plurality of nozzles of a steam source.

[0075] like Figure 4 As depicted in , the material collector 200 may include a plate having a plurality of holes 210 formed therein, wherein the holes may be through holes, in particular round through holes or circular through holes. The plate may be cooled, for example, via a cooling line 220 extending through the plate. At least one nozzle 100 may be at least partially located in one of the plurality of through holes. The wall 230 of the through hole may be arranged behind the lateral opening of the nozzle, so that a high angle portion of the evaporated material may be blocked and "collected" on the wall 230 of the through hole.

[0076] In particular, each of the plurality of nozzles may be at least partially located in a corresponding through hole in the plurality of through holes. A high angle portion of the evaporated material passing through the corresponding lateral opening of each of the nozzles may be blocked by the wall 230 of the corresponding hole in which the corresponding nozzle is located. The diffusion of highly divergent vapor molecules from the plurality of nozzles toward the substrate may be reliably reduced or suppressed.

[0077] exist Figure 4 In the embodiment shown, the plate has three rows of holes 240. In one embodiment, the three rows are parallel to each other. In one embodiment, the rows of holes 240 are oriented in a vertical direction, respectively. The number of rows may correspond to the number of distribution pipes of the steam source arranged adjacent to each other. In particular, if the steam source has one, two or three distribution pipes with a corresponding number of nozzles, the collector plate may have a corresponding number of rows of holes, the nozzles at least partially protruding into these holes to reduce or avoid grazing angle deposition on the substrate.

[0078] In some embodiments, the number of holes in each row 240 of the plate corresponds to the number of nozzles of each steam distribution tube 60 of the steam source 50. A separate hole may be provided for each nozzle of each steam distribution tube 60, so that each nozzle 100 may at least partially protrude into an associated hole of the material collector 200. Thus, a single cooling plate with multiple holes may be provided as a material collector 200 that individually "collects" high-angle portions released from the nozzle orifices of multiple nozzles. The hole pattern in the plate may correspond to the nozzle pattern of the steam source.

[0079] In some embodiments, the hole 210 has a circular cross-section and a diameter D4. The diameter D4 of the hole can be greater than the diameter D3 of the nozzle body 110 and the diameter D2 of the shielding portion 150, for example, twice the distance δ. The nozzle 100 can be placed in the hole 210 so that the nozzle 100 and the wall 230 of the hole have at least a distance δ. For a nozzle 100 having a nozzle body 110 and a shielding portion 150 having a circular cross-section, the distance δ can be a circumferential gap. In particular, the nozzles can be concentrically arranged in the hole 210.

[0080] In another embodiment, the material collector can be formed separately for each nozzle. For example, each nozzle can be at least partially surrounded by a corresponding cylindrical sleeve. The material collector can then be installed separately for each nozzle.

[0081] In some embodiments, the material collector is cooled with a coolant. The material collector 200 may have a cooling line 220 formed in the material collector. A suitable cooling medium may be used. In one embodiment, water is used as a cooling medium. In some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the steam source includes two or more steam distribution pipes, in particular three steam distribution pipes, which are arranged adjacent to each other. Each of the two or more steam distribution pipes may include ten, twenty or more nozzles arranged in rows, in particular in vertical rows, for providing a line source extending substantially vertically. Each nozzle of the steam source may be configured according to at least one nozzle 100 described herein. In particular, each nozzle may include a shielding portion having a pore centered on the axis of the nozzle, and at least one lateral opening between the shielding portion and the nozzle body, so that the high-angle portion of the evaporated material can laterally leave the corresponding nozzle. The shielding portion may be an annular body respectively maintained downstream of the corresponding nozzle orifice. Since the annular body is thermally connected to the corresponding nozzle body, the nozzle may also be referred to as a "hot annular nozzle".

[0082] Figure 5 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a vacuum deposition system 400 having a steam source 50 arranged in a vacuum chamber 410 according to an embodiment described herein. The steam source 50 has a plurality of nozzles. At least one nozzle 100 of the plurality of nozzles may be configured according to any of the nozzles described herein. In particular, two, five or more nozzles disposed in a steam distribution pipe 60 of the steam source 50 may be configured according to any of the nozzles described herein.

[0083] The plurality of nozzles may respectively have nozzle channels extending along the nozzle axis A of the corresponding nozzle toward the deposition area 70 and defining the main emission direction of the corresponding nozzle. In some embodiments, the nozzle axis may extend in a substantially horizontal direction toward the substrate 10. The plurality of plumes of the evaporation material may be directed from the inner space of the vapor distribution pipe 60 toward the substrate 10 through the plurality of nozzles.

[0084] According to the embodiments described herein, at least one nozzle 100 has a nozzle channel 120 extending from a nozzle inlet to a nozzle orifice along a nozzle axis A and a shielding portion formed as a thermal annular body arranged downstream of the nozzle orifice and centered on the nozzle axis, the thermal annular body being used to shape the plume of the evaporation material. At least one lateral opening is provided between the shielding portion and the nozzle body for passing a high-angle portion of the evaporation material released by the nozzle orifice. Each of the plurality of nozzles may have a corresponding arrangement. In some embodiments, the steam source may include two, three or more steam distribution pipes, which are arranged adjacent to each other on a common source support, each steam distribution pipe including a plurality of nozzles.

[0085] like Figure 5 As further depicted, the vapor source 50 may include a source support 105, a crucible 102, and a vapor distribution tube 60 that may be supported on the source support 105. During evaporation, the source support 105 may optionally move along a source transport path. Alternatively, the vapor source may be a fixed source configured to coat a substrate that moves past the vapor source.

[0086] like Figure 5 As further depicted in , an optional cooled material collector 200 may be provided for collecting high angle portions of evaporated material released by the nozzle orifices of the plurality of nozzles. During deposition, evaporated material may accumulate on the cooled walls of the material collector 200 without negatively affecting the deposition quality. The shielding portion 150 (particularly, the annular body surrounding and defining the aperture 140) that is used to shape the low angle portions of the evaporated material for coating the substrate is heated so that the evaporated material does not (permanently) adhere to the shielding portion. Therefore, even after a long deposition cycle, the deposition quality does not degrade because the size of the shielding portion 150 does not change over time due to material accumulated on the shielding portion.

[0087] The vacuum deposition system 400 can be used for various applications, including applications for OLED device manufacturing (including processing methods), in which two or more source materials, such as two or more organic materials, are evaporated simultaneously. The embodiments described herein are particularly related to depositing organic materials, such as for OLED display manufacturing, on large area substrates. According to some embodiments, the large area substrate or carrier supporting one or more substrates can have a surface area of ​​0.5 m 2 , especially 1m 2 For example, the deposition system may be suitable for processing large area substrates, such as substrates with a size of about 1.4 m 2 The GEN 5 substrate corresponding to the substrate (1.1m×1.3m) and the approximately 4.29m 2(1.95m×2.2m) substrate, GEN 7.5 substrate, and about 5.7m 2 (2.2m×2.5m) substrate corresponding to the GEN 8.5 substrate or even with about 8.7m 2 (2.85m x 3.05m) substrate corresponds to the GEN 10 substrate. Even larger generations such as GEN 11 and GEN 12 and the corresponding substrate areas can be similarly realized.

[0088] According to another aspect, a nozzle of a vapor source according to any of the embodiments described herein is provided. The nozzle can be used as a vapor nozzle for coating a substrate by thermal evaporation in any of the vapor sources described herein.

[0089] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating a method for depositing an evaporation material on a substrate in a vacuum chamber according to embodiments described herein. A vapor source according to any of the embodiments described herein may be used for the deposition method. In particular, the vapor source may include at least one vapor distribution pipe having a plurality of nozzles.

[0090] The material may be heated and evaporated in the crucible, and the evaporated material may diffuse through the vapor distribution tube and enter the nozzle channels of the plurality of nozzles.

[0091] In block 510, an evaporated material is directed along a nozzle axis through a nozzle channel extending through a nozzle body of at least one nozzle of the plurality of nozzles. The nozzle channel may extend from a nozzle inlet to a nozzle orifice configured to release the evaporated material into a deposition region.

[0092] In block 520 , the evaporated material is released through a nozzle orifice (particularly as a vapor cone or vapor plume).

[0093] In block 530, a first angular portion of the evaporation material released through the nozzle orifice (particularly, a low-angle portion including vapor molecules diffused close to the nozzle axis) diffuses toward the substrate through the apertures of the shielding portion connected to the nozzle body and in thermal contact with the nozzle body, and a second angular portion of the evaporation material released through the nozzle orifice (particularly, a high-angle portion including vapor molecules diffused at a higher angle relative to the nozzle axis than the low-angle portion) diffuses through at least one lateral opening provided between the shielding portion and the nozzle body. A third angular portion of the evaporation material released through the nozzle orifice (particularly, vapor molecules diffused at an angle between the low-angle portion and the high-angle portion) may be blocked by the shielding portion and optionally scattered or reflected back, and the shielding portion may be formed as an annular body.

[0094] In block 540, the high angle portion of the evaporated material may be collected at a wall of a material collector disposed behind the at least one lateral opening. The low angle portion may diffuse toward the substrate to coat the substrate.

[0095] In some embodiments, the material collector may be cooled, in particular actively cooled by a cooling medium. The efficiency of collecting the evaporated material impinging on the walls of the material collector may be increased.

[0096] In some embodiments, substrate 10 is moved in front of a vapor source during deposition of the evaporated material onto the substrate.

[0097] In some embodiments, the evaporated material impinges upon the substrate at an angle of 30° or less to the surface normal of the substrate.

[0098] The embodiments described herein are particularly related to the evaporation of materials on large area substrates, such as for display manufacturing. For example, the substrate can be a glass substrate. The embodiments described herein can also be related to semiconductor processing, such as for depositing materials (such as metals or OLED materials) on semiconductor wafers. During evaporation, the semiconductor wafer can be arranged horizontally or vertically.

[0099] Figure 7 The integrated intensity of the evaporated material at a position between at least one nozzle 100 described herein and the substrate 10 is shown as a function of the vapor emission angle θ relative to the nozzle axis (=angle relative to the substrate normal). The figure illustrates that the nozzle described herein provides a vapor plume in which almost all vapor molecules (>90%) are contained in a vapor cone with a top angle of 30°. Almost no vapor molecules (<10%) diffuse toward (and hit) the substrate at angles higher than 30°, which improves the deposition quality.

[0100] According to the embodiments described herein, the shielding portion having the orifice is configured such that the integrated intensity of the evaporated material downstream of the nozzle at an emission angle of 30% (corresponding to the low-angle portion of the evaporated material passing through the orifice) is 0.8 or greater, particularly 0.9 or greater, and more particularly 0.95 or greater.

[0101] This written description uses examples to disclose the present disclosure, including the best mode, and also to enable those skilled in the art to practice the described subject matter, including making and using any device or system and performing any incorporated method. Although various specific embodiments have been disclosed above, the mutually non-exclusive features of the embodiments described above may be combined with each other. The scope of patentable rights is defined by the claims, and other examples are also meant to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that are not different from the literal language of the claims, or if other examples include equivalent structural elements that are not substantially different from the literal language of the claims.

Claims

1. A steam source (50) for depositing an evaporation material on a substrate (10), the steam source comprising a steam distribution pipe (60) having a plurality of nozzles, wherein at least one nozzle (100) of the plurality of nozzles comprises: a nozzle body (110) having a nozzle channel (120) extending along a nozzle axis (A) for releasing evaporated material through a nozzle orifice (122); and a shielding portion (150) connected to the nozzle body (110) and in thermal contact with the nozzle body, the shielding portion having an aperture (140) for allowing the low-angle portion (I) of the vapor deposition material to pass toward the substrate, At least one lateral opening (165) is disposed between the shielding portion (150) and the nozzle body (110) for allowing the high-angle portion (II) of the vapor deposition material to pass through.

2. The steam source of claim 1, wherein the shield portion (150) comprises an annular body (175) defining the aperture (140) and arranged downstream of the nozzle orifice and centered about the nozzle axis (A).

3. The vapor source of claim 2, wherein the annular body (175) has a shielding surface (185) directed toward the nozzle orifice, the shielding surface being configured to reflect evaporated material impinging on the shielding surface.

4. The steam source of claim 3, wherein the shielding surface (185) is at least one of curved, concave and formed as a segment of a spherical surface, in particular a sphere substantially centered about the nozzle orifice.

5. A steam source as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the shielding portion (150) is connected to the nozzle body by a retaining portion (155), the retaining portion being attached to the nozzle body and comprising one or more support rods (160), the one or more support rods being used to hold the shielding portion in a position downstream of the nozzle orifice (122).

6. The steam source of claim 5, wherein two, three or more transverse openings for passing the high-angle portion are formed between two, three or more supporting rods.

7. The steam source according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the shielding portion (150) and the holding portion (155) are integrally formed.

8. A steam source as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the pore (140) is circular and provides a cone angle of 10° or more and 60° or less, in particular 20° or more and 40° or less, relative to the nozzle orifice to allow the low-angle portion of the evaporated material to pass through.

9. The steam source as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a material collector (200), which is arranged behind the at least one lateral opening (165) and is configured to collect the high-angle portion of the vapor deposition material that has passed through the at least one lateral opening (165). 10 . The steam source of claim 9 , further comprising a cooling device for cooling the material collector so that the vapor deposition material condenses on the material collector.

11. The steam source of claim 9 or 10, wherein the material collector comprises a cylindrical wall (230) surrounding a region between the nozzle body and the shield portion, the at least one transverse opening (165) being located in the region.

12. The steam source according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the material collector is configured as a coolable plate having a plurality of through holes (210), and the at least one nozzle (100) is at least partially located in one of the plurality of through holes.

13. The steam source according to any one of claims 1 to 12, comprising two or more steam distribution pipes arranged adjacent to each other, each of the two or more steam distribution pipes comprising ten or more nozzles arranged in a row, each nozzle being configured according to the at least one nozzle (100).

14. A nozzle (100) for directing an evaporation material toward a substrate, the nozzle comprising: a nozzle body having a nozzle passage extending along a nozzle axis (A) for releasing evaporated material through a nozzle orifice; and a shielding portion connected to the nozzle body and in thermal contact with the nozzle body, the shielding portion having an aperture for passing the first corner portion of the evaporation material toward the substrate, At least one lateral opening is disposed between the shielding portion and the nozzle body for allowing the second corner portion of the evaporation material to pass through.

15. A method for depositing an evaporation material on a substrate in a vacuum chamber using a vapor source, the vapor source comprising a vapor distribution pipe having a plurality of nozzles, the method comprising: directing an evaporation material along a nozzle axis (A) through a nozzle channel extending through a nozzle body of at least one nozzle and releasing the evaporation material through a nozzle orifice, wherein a low angle portion of the evaporated material released through the nozzle orifice diffuses toward the substrate through apertures of a shield portion connected to and in thermal contact with the nozzle body, and wherein a high angle portion of the evaporated material released through the nozzle orifice diffuses through at least one lateral opening disposed between the shield portion and the nozzle body.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the high angle portion is collected at a wall of a material collector arranged behind the at least one lateral opening.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the material collector is cooled.

18. The method of any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the substrate moves in front of the vapor source.

19. The method of any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein 90% or more of the evaporated material impinging on the substrate is at an angle of 30° or less to the surface normal of the substrate.

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