Evaporation source, material deposition apparatus and method of depositing material on substrate

Abstract

An evaporation source (100) for depositing a material on a substrate (10) is described herein. The evaporation source (100) comprises a crucible (110) for evaporating a material. Further, the evaporation source (100) comprises a distributor (120) in fluid communication with the crucible (110). The dispenser (120) comprises a temperature control system (121) for controlling the temperature of the dispenser (120) at a temperature Td. The temperature Td is equal to or higher than the melting temperature Tmelt of the material and lower than the evaporation temperature Tevp of the material (Tmelt < = Tdlt; Tevp).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to substrate coating by thermal evaporation in a vacuum chamber. Embodiments of the present disclosure further relate to material deposition of evaporated material on a substrate. Embodiments also relate to temperature controlled deposition of material on a substrate. Background Art

[0002] Various techniques for deposition on substrates are known, such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and physical vapor deposition (PVD). For deposition at high deposition rates, thermal evaporation may be used as a PVD process. For thermal evaporation, a source material is heated to produce a vapor that can be deposited, for example, on a substrate. Increasing the temperature of the heated source material increases the vapor concentration and can promote a high deposition rate. The temperature at which a high deposition rate is achieved depends on the physical properties of the source material, such as the vapor pressure that varies with temperature, and the physical limits of the substrate, such as the melting temperature.

[0003] For example, the deposition of metals (e.g., lithium) by evaporation on flexible substrates (e.g., copper substrates) can be used to make batteries, such as lithium batteries. For example, a lithium layer can be deposited on a thin flexible substrate to make an anode of a battery. After assembling the anode layer stack and the cathode layer stack, optionally with an electrolyte and / or a separator therebetween, the produced layered arrangement can be rolled or otherwise stacked to make a lithium battery.

[0004] For example, surfaces such as the vacuum chamber wall components of the vacuum chamber may be exposed to the vapor and may be coated. For high volume manufacturing, such as coil coating on thin foils, frequent maintenance to remove condensate is not practical. In addition, if the components of the vacuum chamber are different from the substrate to be coated, expensive coating materials may be wasted.

[0005] In addition, the material to be deposited is heated to a high temperature, thereby providing a high heat load to the substrate to be coated. However, the high temperature may have a negative impact on the substrate. Therefore, it is beneficial to provide an improved evaporation source, an improved material deposition apparatus, and an improved method of depositing a material on a substrate, thereby at least partially overcoming the problems in the art. Summary of the invention

[0006] In view of the above, an evaporation source, a material deposition apparatus, and a method of depositing a material on a substrate according to the independent claims are provided. Further aspects, advantages and characterizing features are apparent from the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an evaporation source for depositing a material on a substrate is provided. The evaporation source includes a crucible for evaporating the material. In addition, the evaporation source includes a distributor in fluid communication with the crucible. The distributor has a temperature for controlling the temperature of the distributor at a temperature T d Temperature control system. Temperature T d Equal to or higher than the melting temperature T of the material melting In addition, the temperature T d Lower than the evaporation temperature T of the material evap .

[0008] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a material deposition apparatus for depositing an evaporation material on a substrate is provided, wherein the material deposition apparatus comprises one or more evaporation sources according to any embodiment described in the present disclosure.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for depositing a material on a substrate is provided. The method includes evaporating a material in a crucible. In addition, the method includes directing the evaporated material to the substrate via a distributor. In addition, the method includes controlling the temperature of the distributor at a temperature T d ; Among them, T d Equal to or higher than the melting temperature T of the material melting , and where T d Lower than the evaporation temperature T of the material evap (T melting ≤ T d < T evap ).

[0010] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for manufacturing a coated flexible substrate is provided. The method includes using at least one of an evaporation source according to any embodiment described herein, a material deposition apparatus according to any embodiment described herein, and a method for depositing a material on a substrate according to any embodiment described herein.

[0011] Embodiments are also directed to devices for performing the disclosed methods, and include device components for performing each of the described method aspects. 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 are also directed to methods for operating the devices. The methods for operating the devices include method aspects for performing each function of the device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] In order to understand in detail the manner in which the above-mentioned features of the present disclosure are achieved, a more specific description of the present disclosure, which has been briefly summarized above, can be made with reference to the embodiments. The accompanying drawings relate to embodiments of the present disclosure and are described below:

[0013] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of an evaporation source according to embodiments described herein;

[0014] Figures 2 to 5 shows a schematic diagram of an evaporation source according to a further embodiment described herein;

[0015] Fig. 6A shows a schematic top view of an outlet opening according to embodiments described herein;

[0016] Figure 6B Shows Fig. 6A A schematic cross-sectional view along line AA shown in FIG.

[0017] Figure 7 A schematic diagram showing a material deposition apparatus according to embodiments described herein; and

[0018] Figure 8 and 9 A block diagram is shown for illustrating an embodiment of a method of depositing material on a substrate as described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present disclosure, one or more of which are shown in the drawings. In the following diagrammatic descriptions, the same component symbols represent the same parts. Only the differences with respect to individual embodiments are described. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the present disclosure and is not meant to be a limitation of the present disclosure. In addition, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used in other embodiments or used in combination therewith to produce further embodiments. This description is intended to include such modifications and variations.

[0020] Embodiments provided herein relate to thin film coating by evaporation, and in particular to thin film coating in a vacuum chamber. Typically, the material to be coated is heated to a material-specific temperature for evaporation. Generally, higher temperatures can provide higher evaporation rates. The corresponding temperature for a particular coating rate depends, for example, on the material vapor pressure. For high deposition rate processes, the condensation heat load of the material may dominate the heat load on the substrate.

[0021] In an evaporation system, the evaporated material will condense on the surface of a system component that is at a lower temperature than the evaporated material. For thermal coating of a substrate, the substrate includes a lower temperature so that the evaporated material can be coated on the substrate to form a thin layer on the substrate. During coating, the substrate is subjected to a high heat load due to the temperature of the evaporated material and the radiation of the hot surface. In addition, coating or material deposition based on the temperature difference between the material to be deposited and the substrate also provides condensation energy to the substrate. Therefore, the condensation energy provided by the deposited material will heat the substrate, especially at the location where the evaporated material directly hits the substrate. However, in order to reduce the thermal stress on the substrate, it is beneficial to provide an evaporation source, a deposition device and a method that can reduce the heat load on the substrate.

[0022] Exemplary references Figures 1 to 6B , describes an evaporation source 100 for depositing material on a substrate 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Typically, during material deposition, such as Figure 1 As shown by way of example in FIG. 1 , the substrate is transported in a substrate transport direction T past the evaporation source 100 .

[0023] In particular, exemplary reference Figure 1 According to an embodiment, which can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the evaporation source 100 comprises a crucible 110 for evaporating a material. Typically, the crucible 110 contains the material to be evaporated, such as Figure 1 The reference numeral 11 in the figure indicates an exemplary embodiment. In addition, Figure 1 The dashed arrow in the figure indicates the evaporated material 12. In addition, the evaporation source 100 includes a distributor 120 in fluid communication with the crucible 110. Generally, the distributor 120 is configured to provide the evaporated material to the substrate 10 and includes a main outlet direction 101 of the distributor 120. The distributor 120 is a temperature-controlled distributor configured to control the temperature of the distributor 120 at a temperature T d Temperature T d Equal to or higher than the melting temperature T of the material melting In addition, the temperature T d Lower than the evaporation temperature T of the material evap Therefore, the temperature T is selected according to the following relationship d :T melting ≤ T d < T evap In particular, the dispenser 120 includes a temperature control system 121 for controlling the temperature of the dispenser 120 at a temperature T d .like Figure 1 As exemplarily shown in FIG. 1 , the temperature control system 121 may include a plurality of heating elements and / or cooling elements, which may be attached to the wall of the dispenser 120 or embedded therein.

[0024] Thus, an improved evaporation source for depositing evaporation material on a substrate is advantageously provided. In particular, the evaporation source according to the embodiments described herein advantageously provides the possibility of reducing the thermal load on the substrate. In addition, by providing a temperature that can be maintained at T melting ≤ T d < T evap Temperature T d The distributor of the present invention can be used to flow the evaporated material condensed on the wall of the distributor back to the crucible, so the condensed material can be recovered. Therefore, the overall material utilization rate can be improved.

[0025] Before describing various other embodiments of the present disclosure in more detail, certain aspects regarding certain terms used herein are explained.

[0026] In the present disclosure, "evaporation source for depositing material on a substrate" may be understood as a source configured to deposit material on a substrate by using an evaporation process. In other words, the evaporation source may provide the material to be deposited to the substrate in an evaporated state.

[0027] In the present disclosure, a "crucible for evaporating a material" may be understood as a crucible configured to heat the material to be deposited to above the evaporation temperature of the material. In other words, the crucible may contain the material to be deposited and may be evaporated by providing the material with a temperature suitable for evaporating the material. For better understanding, in Figure 1 In the figure, the material to be deposited is indicated by reference numeral 11 and the evaporated material 12 is indicated by a dashed arrow. It will therefore be appreciated that the crucible typically comprises a heater for heating the material contained in the crucible to above the evaporation temperature of the material to be deposited.

[0028] For example, the material to be deposited may include, for example, metals (particularly lithium), metal alloys, and other vaporizable materials or the like having a gas phase under given conditions. According to further embodiments, additionally or alternatively, the material may include magnesium (Mg), ytterbium (Yb), and lithium fluoride (LiF). Thus, the material to be deposited on the substrate may be heated in a crucible to generate vapor at an elevated vapor pressure. The vapor may be transported from the crucible to a dispenser as described herein.

[0029] In the present disclosure, a "distributor" may be understood as a device or unit configured to distribute and / or provide the evaporation material to the substrate. Typically, the distributor is in fluid communication with the crucible, in particular via a connecting opening 126 as described herein, such as Figure 2 In other words, the crucible can be connected to the distributor via the connecting opening, so that the evaporated material can leave the crucible via the connecting opening 126 and flow into the distributor.

[0030] In the present disclosure, a "temperature control system for controlling the temperature of a dispenser" may be understood as a system configured to control the temperature of a dispenser, in particular a wall of a dispenser. In particular, the temperature control system described herein is configured to control the temperature T of the dispenser. d , so that at least the inner wall of the distributor is controlled at a temperature T d , the evaporated material is directed between the inner walls toward the substrate, wherein T melting ≤ T d < T evap . For example, the temperature control system may include one or more heating elements and / or one or more cooling elements that may be attached to the dispenser, in particular to the wall of the dispenser. The heating element may also be referred to as a heater. The cooling element may also be referred to as a cooler. Alternatively, the heating element and / or the cooling element may be arranged inside the wall of the dispenser. For example, the heating element and / or the cooling element may be embedded in the wall of the dispenser. In particular, the temperature control system may include a combination of a heater 132 and a cooler 132, such as Figure 2 For example, a cooler may be provided at the inlet portion 122 of one or more outlet channels 122. in Typically, the inlet portion 122 in The heater may be disposed adjacent to the connection opening 126 connecting the crucible 110 and the distributor 120. out Typically, the outflow portion 122 in adjacent to the outlet opening 125. It should be understood that generally the inlet portion 122 in and the outflow portion 122 out The heater 132 can be a heating wire or other suitable heater for heating the distributor 120, so that the temperature T of the distributor d T melting ≤ T d < T evap .like Figure 2 As exemplarily shown in FIG. 1 , the cooler 132 may be connected to a cooling system 135 to provide cooling.

[0031] Thus, the distributor 120 may be a temperature-controlled distributor having one or more outlet channels 122 that may be heated and / or cooled in sections so that the temperature T d T melting ≤ T d < T evap In other words, one or more outlet channels 122 of the distributor 120 may have one or more sections (particularly in the inlet section 122) including a cooler. in), and one or more other sections including a heater (particularly in the outflow section 122 out place).

[0032] In this disclosure, the term "melting temperature T melting ” can be understood as the temperature at which a material changes from solid to liquid.

[0033] In this disclosure, “the evaporation temperature T evap ” can be understood as the temperature at which a material changes from a liquid to a gas.

[0034] According to an embodiment, which can be combined with any other embodiment of the present disclosure, the distributor 120 includes one or more outlet channels 122 . Figure 1 and 2 An exemplary embodiment with one outlet channel is shown. Figure 3 An exemplary embodiment having two outlet channels is shown, specifically a first outlet channel 122A and a second outlet channel 122B. Figure 4 An exemplary embodiment is shown having three outlet channels, specifically a first outlet channel 122A, a second outlet channel 122B, and a third outlet channel 122C. Figure 5 An exemplary embodiment with a plurality of outlet channels, in particular with five outlet channels, is shown.

[0035] Exemplary references Figure 2 According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment of the present disclosure, one or more outlet channels 122 have a first end 123 and a second end 124. Typically, the first end 123 is connected to the crucible 110. The second end 124 includes an outlet opening 125. Figure 2 As shown in the example, the outlet opening 125 is usually directed toward the substrate 10 to be coated. Figure 2 As exemplarily shown in FIG. 1 , the first end 123 of the one or more outlet channels 122 generally includes a connection opening 126. The connection opening connects the distributor with the crucible so that the evaporated material can leave the crucible 110 through the connection opening 126 and flow into the distributor 120. The evaporated material can leave the distributor 120 at the outlet opening 125. Typically, the outlet opening 125 is larger than the connection opening 126. More specifically, the flow cross section of the outlet opening 125 can be larger than the flow cross section of the connection opening 126, which can be beneficial for providing the evaporated material to the substrate in a uniform manner.

[0036] According to embodiments that can be combined with any other embodiments described herein, the distributor 120 may include a material suitable for contact heating or cooling. For example, the temperature controlled distributor may be made of a metallic material, such as stainless steel, Mo, Ta, W, Invar or other high temperature materials or metals. For example, AlN may also be provided as a good thermally conductive ceramic.

[0037] like Figure 2 As exemplarily shown in , the main outlet direction 101 may extend in a direction from the center of the connecting opening 126 to the center of the outlet opening 125. Typically, the main outlet direction 101 is substantially perpendicular to the substrate transport direction T. The term "substantially perpendicular" may be understood as perpendicular within a tolerance t, wherein t ≤ ± 15°, in particular t ≤ ± 10°, more in particular t ≤ ± 5°. Thus, the main outlet direction 101 may be 90° ± t relative to the substrate transport direction T.

[0038] According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment of the present disclosure, a temperature control system 121 is disposed at one or more outlet channels 122 for controlling the temperature of one or more walls of the one or more outlet channels 122 at a temperature T d In particular, the temperature control system 121 may be attached to or embedded in one or more walls of the one or more outlet channels 122 .

[0039] Exemplary references Figures 1 to 4 According to an embodiment, which can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the one or more outlet channels 122 have a flow cross section which increases towards the outlet opening 125. In particular, the flow cross section may increase continuously from the connection opening 126 up to the outlet opening 125. Thus, the one or more outlet channels 122 may have a funnel-shaped configuration. Typically, the connection opening 126 provides the smallest flow cross section of the distributor, while the outlet opening 125 provides the largest flow cross section of the distributor.

[0040] Exemplary references Figure 2 According to an embodiment, which can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, at least two walls of one or more outlet channels 122, in particular opposite walls 129, are flat walls. Figure 2As shown in an exemplary manner, at least two walls of one or more outlet channels 122, in particular the opposite wall 129, can be inclined relative to the main outlet direction 101 of the corresponding outlet channel in the one or more outlet channels. For example, one or two opposite walls 129 can be inclined relative to the main outlet direction 101 by an inclination angle α. The inclination angle α can be α1 ≤ α ≤ α2, wherein α1 can be α1 = 5°, in particular α1 = 10°, more in particular α1 = 15°, and α2 can be α2 = 45°, in particular α2 = 30°, more in particular α2 = 20°. The inclination angles α of the opposite walls 129 can be the same or different. In other words, one or more outlet channels 122 can be symmetrical or asymmetrical relative to the main outlet direction 101.

[0041] Exemplary references Figure 3 and Figure 4 According to an embodiment, which can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the distributor 120 can include two or more outlet channels 122. For example, Figure 3 As shown exemplarily, two or more outlet channels 122 may be arranged parallel to each other. More particularly, the first main outlet direction 101A of the first outlet channel 122A of the distributor 120 may be substantially parallel to the second main outlet direction 101B of the second outlet channel 122B of the distributor 120. The term "substantially parallel" may be understood as parallel within a tolerance t, t ≤ ± 15°, particularly t ≤ ± 10°, more particularly t ≤ ± 5°.

[0042] According to an embodiment, which can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, two or more outlet channels may be arranged obliquely to each other. Figure 4 An example is shown in which three outlet channels of a distributor are inclined relative to each other. For example, the second main outlet direction 101B of the second outlet channel 122B can be inclined at a first inclination angle β1 relative to the first main outlet direction 101A of the first outlet channel 122A. For example, the first inclination angle β1 can be 10°≤ β1 ≤ 60°, in particular 15°≤ β1≤ 45°, and more particularly 20°≤ β1 ≤ 30°. In addition, the third main outlet direction 101C of the third outlet channel 122B can be inclined at a second inclination angle β2 relative to the first main outlet direction 101A of the first outlet channel 122A. For example, the second inclination angle β2 can be 10°≤ β2 ≤ 60°, in particular 15°≤ β2 ≤ 45°, and more particularly 20°≤ β2 ≤ 30°. It should be understood that the first inclination angle β1 and the second inclination angle β2 can be equal or different. As Figure 4As shown in the exemplary embodiment, when the substrate 10 to be coated is guided past the evaporation source 100 via the coating drum 211, a configuration with an inclined outlet channel is advantageous. Typically, the coating drum is configured to move the substrate 10 past the evaporation source 100 on a curved drum surface in a circumferential direction that may correspond to the substrate transport direction T. For example, the substrate may be a flexible substrate, such as a web or foil, as described in reference Figure 7 The material deposition apparatus 200 schematically shown in FIG. 1 is described in more detail.

[0043] Exemplary references Figure 5 According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the evaporation source 100 further includes a radiation shield 140 disposed around the crucible 110. In other words, the crucible can be surrounded by the radiation shield. In particular, the radiation shield is configured to provide heat shielding. Typically, the radiation shield includes a plurality of sheets, such as metal sheets. The plurality of sheets can be spaced apart to provide gaps between adjacent sheets. More particularly, the plurality of sheets can be arranged in a stacked manner. As shown in FIG. Figure 5 As schematically shown, a stack of shielding sheets may be arranged around the crucible 110 .

[0044] According to an embodiment, which can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the evaporation source 100 further comprises a coolable housing 150, such as Figure 5 Typically, the coolable housing 150 includes a cooling element that can be attached to a wall of the housing 150 or embedded therein. For example, the cooling element can be a pipe for a coolant. Typically, the coolable housing 150 is connected to a housing cooling system 155. More specifically, the cooling element can be connected to a housing cooling system 155 that can be configured to provide a coolant. Figure 5 As shown in the exemplary embodiment, the coolable housing 150 can accommodate the crucible 110. In addition, the coolable housing 150 may at least partially accommodate the distributor 120. Typically, the temperature control system 121 of the distributor 120 is arranged in the coolable housing 150. Figure 5 As shown by way of example in FIG. 1 , the outlet opening 125 is arranged on the outside of the coolable housing 150 .

[0045] Exemplary references Fig. 6A and 6B , describes an alternative embodiment of the outlet opening 125. According to an embodiment, which can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the outlet opening 125 is an elongated opening extending in a cross direction relative to the substrate transport direction T, such as Fig. 6A. The term "long opening" may be understood as an opening whose length L is at least twice the width W of the opening. Typically, the width W of the opening is the dimension of the opening in the substrate transport direction T. Thus, the length L of the opening is the dimension of the opening perpendicular to the substrate transport direction T. In particular, the ratio of the length L of the outlet opening 125 to the width W of the outlet opening 125 may be L / W ≥ 1.5, in particular L / W ≥ 2, more in particular L / W ≥ 3. Typically, the ratio of the length L of the outlet opening 125 to the width W of the outlet opening 125 is L / W ≤ 4.

[0046] Exemplary references Fig. 6A According to an embodiment, which can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the outlet opening 125 widens toward at least one length end of the outlet opening. In particular, at least one length end of the outlet opening 125 may include a widening portion 128, such as Fig. 6A According to an example, both length ends of the outlet opening 125 may include widened portions 128 .

[0047] Exemplary references Figure 6B According to an embodiment, which can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, at least one wall of the one or more outlet channels 122 comprises a protrusion 127 at the outlet opening 125. Typically, the protrusion 127 extends toward the interior of the one or more outlet channels 122, such as Figure 6B In particular, the protrusion 127 extends toward at least one length end of the outlet opening 125. According to an example, two opposing walls of one or more outlet channels 122 may include the protrusion 127 described herein.

[0048] refer to Fig. 6A and 6B The illustrative described embodiments help improve the uniformity of the evaporated material flowing out of the dispenser, which can be beneficial in improving the uniformity of coating on the substrate.

[0049] Exemplary references Figure 7 , a material deposition apparatus 200 for depositing an evaporation material on a substrate 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described.

[0050] According to an embodiment, which can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the material deposition apparatus 200 comprises one or more evaporation sources 100 according to any embodiment described herein. Typically, the one or more evaporation sources 100 are disposed in a vacuum chamber 201. For example, the material deposition apparatus may comprise a vacuum pump for providing a vacuum in the vacuum chamber.

[0051] The term "vacuum" as used herein may be understood as a technical vacuum having a vacuum pressure of less than, for example, 10 mbar. Typically, the pressure in a vacuum chamber as described herein may be between 10 -4 mbar and about 10 -8 mbar, more typically between 10 -4 mbar and 10 -7 mbar, and even more typically about 10 -5 mbar and about 10 -6 In some embodiments, the total pressure within one or more vacuum chambers may be between about 10 -4 mbar to about 10 -7 The vacuum chamber may therefore be a "vacuum deposition chamber", ie a vacuum chamber configured for vacuum deposition.

[0052] According to an embodiment, which can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the material deposition apparatus 200 further comprises a substrate transport device 210 for transporting the substrate past the one or more evaporation sources 100 along a substrate transport direction T. For example, the substrate transport device may be a coating drum 211 .

[0053] The coating drum 211 may be Figure 7 The coating drum 211 is a cylinder extending in a length direction perpendicular to the paper surface. The coating drum 211 can rotate around the rotation axis 212. The coating drum can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise. Generally speaking, the substrate transport device can change direction during deposition. For example, when the coating drum rotates clockwise during deposition, the rotation direction can be changed to counterclockwise, and vice versa.

[0054] According to some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the coating drum can be an air cushion coating drum. The air cushion coating drum provides cooling gas between the surface of the drum and the substrate. For example, the drum and the cooling gas can be cooled to a temperature below room temperature. Heat can be removed from the substrate to allow higher deposition rates without damaging the thin foil or coil on which the material is deposited.

[0055] For the air cushion roller, a first subset of gas outlets, i.e. open gas outlets, can be arranged in the web guiding area of ​​the processing drum. A second subset of gas outlets, i.e. closed gas outlets, can be arranged outside the web guiding area. Since the gas is released only in the web guiding area where the air cushion is required, no or only a small amount of gas is released directly to the areas not covered by the web, which can reduce gas waste and / or maintain a better vacuum with reduced strain on the pump system.

[0056] According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, in addition to or in place of the gas outlet subgroup, the outer surface of the process drum may be coated with a microporous surface. The microporous surface may allow a small amount of cooling gas to flow from the inside of the process drum to the process drum surface. The cooling gas may form an air cushion between the process drum and a coil or foil directed over the process drum for material deposition thereon.

[0057] According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the substrate to be coated is a flexible substrate. In the present disclosure, a "flexible substrate" or a "thin film substrate" can be understood as a bendable substrate. For example, a "flexible / thin film substrate" can be a "foil" or a "roll". In the present disclosure, the term "flexible substrate", the term "substrate" and the term "thin film substrate" can be used synonymously. For example, the flexible substrate described herein can be made of or include materials such as PET, HC-PET, PE, PI, PU, ​​TaC, OPP, BOOP, CPP, one or more metals (e.g., copper), paper, a combination thereof, and a substrate that has been coated, such as hard-coated PET (e.g., HC-PET, HC-TaC). In some embodiments, the flexible substrate is a COP substrate having an index matching (IM) layer disposed on both sides thereof. According to an example, the flexible substrate can be a metal foil or a flexible substrate metal-coated foil. The substrate can be a transparent or opaque substrate. For example, the substrate thickness can be 1 micron or more and 1 mm or less, in particular 500 microns or less, or even 200 microns or less. In particular, the substrate to be coated may have a thickness of 50 microns or less, in particular 20 microns or less, or even 10 microns or less. In some embodiments, the substrate is a thin copper foil or thin aluminum foil having a thickness below 30 microns, such as 10 microns or less. The substrate width W s Can be 0.1m ≤ W s ≤ 6 m.

[0058] According to an embodiment, which can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the material deposition apparatus may include a substrate supply or unwinding roller ( Figure 7 (not shown) to provide an unprocessed substrate. The substrate supply or unwinding roller can be moved, i.e. rotated, so that the substrate can be unwound from the substrate supply or unwinding roller. In addition, the material deposition device may include a substrate receiving roller ( Figure 7 The substrate receiving roller may be moved, i.e., rotated, to receive the processed substrate. The unwinding roller or substrate supply roller and receiving roller may each be disposed in a different vacuum chamber than the evaporation source, or may be disposed in the same vacuum chamber as one or more evaporation sources.

[0059] It should be understood that according to embodiments, which can be combined with any other embodiments described herein, the material deposition apparatus 200 may be a roll-to-roll material deposition apparatus.

[0060] Exemplary references Figure 8 and 9 , a block diagram is shown in FIG. 1 , describing an embodiment of a method 300 for depositing a material on a substrate 10 according to the present disclosure.

[0061] According to an embodiment, which can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the method 300 includes evaporating in a crucible (e.g. Figure 8 and 9 In addition, the method 300 includes directing the evaporated material toward the substrate 10 via the distributor 120 (as shown in the box 310 in FIG. 1 ). Figure 8 and 9 Further, the method 300 includes controlling the temperature of the dispenser 120 (e.g. Figure 8 and 9 330 in the figure) at a temperature T d Temperature T d Equal to or higher than the melting temperature T of the material melting In addition, the temperature T d Lower than the evaporation temperature T of the material evap Therefore, the temperature T d is selected based on the following relationship: T melting ≤ T d < T evap .

[0062] According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the method 300 further includes recovering (e.g. Fig. 9 340 in the block 340) condensed on the wall of the distributor 120. In particular, recovering the condensed material generally includes directing the condensed material (eg, Fig. 9 341 in the figure) back into the crucible.

[0063] According to an embodiment, which can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the method 300 further includes cooling (e.g. Fig. 9 The housing 150 (shown as a box 350 in FIG. 1 ) surrounds the crucible 110 and at least partially surrounds the distributor 120.

[0064] It should be understood that the method 300 of depositing a material on a substrate may be performed using at least one of the evaporation source 100 and the material deposition apparatus 200 according to any of the embodiments described herein.

[0065] In addition, in view of the embodiments described herein, it should be understood that a method of manufacturing a coated substrate can be provided. The method of manufacturing a coated substrate includes using at least one of the evaporation source 100 according to any embodiment described herein, the material deposition apparatus 200 according to any embodiment described herein, and the method 300 of depositing a material on a substrate according to any embodiment described herein.

[0066] According to further embodiments, a method for manufacturing a battery anode is provided. The method for manufacturing an anode includes performing a method 300 of depositing a material onto a substrate in a vacuum chamber according to any embodiment described herein. In particular, the method for manufacturing an anode may include guiding a flexible substrate including an anode layer in a material deposition device 200 according to any embodiment described herein, and depositing a lithium-containing material or lithium onto the flexible substrate using an evaporation source 100 according to any embodiment described herein.

[0067] In view of the above, it will be appreciated that the embodiments described herein provide improved evaporation sources, improved material deposition apparatus, and improved methods of depositing materials on substrates, compared to the state of the art. In particular, embodiments of the present disclosure beneficially provide the possibility of reducing the thermal load on the substrate to be coated. In addition, embodiments of the present disclosure beneficially provide the possibility of recycling condensed coating materials. Therefore, the embodiments described herein beneficially provide improved material utilization.

[0068] While the foregoing is directed to embodiments, other and further embodiments may be devised without departing from the basic scope, and the scope is determined by the claims that follow.

Claims

1. An evaporation source (100) for depositing a material on a substrate (10), comprising: - a crucible (110) for evaporating the material, and - a distributor (120) in fluid communication with the crucible (110), the distributor (120) having a temperature control system (121) for controlling the temperature of the distributor (120) at a temperature T d , where T d Equal to or higher than the melting temperature T of the material melting , and where T d Below the evaporation temperature T of the material evap (T melting ≤ T d < T evap ).

2. The evaporation source (100) according to claim 1, wherein the distributor (120) comprises one or more outlet channels (122) having a first end (123) connected to the crucible (110) and a second end (124) having an outlet opening (125).

3. The evaporation source (100) according to claim 2, wherein the first end (123) of the one or more outlet channels (122) has a connection opening (126), and wherein the outlet opening (125) is larger than the connection opening (126).

4. The evaporation source (100) according to any one of claims 2 to 3, wherein the temperature control system (121) is arranged at the one or more outlet channels (122) for controlling the temperature of the wall of the one or more outlet channels (122) at the temperature T d .

5. The evaporation source (100) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the one or more outlet channels (122) have a flow cross section which increases towards the outlet opening (125).

6. The evaporation source (100) according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein at least two walls, in particular opposite walls, of the one or more outlet channels (122) are flat walls.

7. The evaporation source (100) according to claim 6, wherein the at least two walls are inclined relative to a main outlet direction (101) of a respective outlet channel of the one or more outlet channels.

8. The evaporation source (100) according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the outlet opening (125) is a long opening extending in a cross direction relative to a substrate transport direction, in particular wherein the long opening widens toward at least one length end of the long opening.

9. The evaporation source (100) according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein at least one wall of the one or more outlet channels (122) comprises a protrusion (127) at the outlet opening (125), the protrusion extending towards the interior of the one or more outlet channels.

10. The evaporation source (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a radiation shield (140) arranged around the crucible (110).

11. The evaporation source (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a coolable housing (150), in particular having a housing cooling system (155), wherein the coolable housing (150) accommodates the crucible (110) and at least partially accommodates the distributor (120).

12. The evaporation source (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the temperature control system comprises one or more coolers (131) and one or more heaters (132).

13. The evaporation source (100) according to claim 12, wherein the one or more coolers (131) are arranged at an inlet portion (122) of the distributor (120). in ), and wherein the one or more heaters (132) are disposed at the outflow portion (122) of the distributor (120) out ) place.

14. A material deposition apparatus (200) for depositing an evaporated material on a substrate, the material deposition apparatus comprising one or more evaporation sources (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. The material deposition apparatus (200) according to claim 14, further comprising a substrate transport device (210), in particular a coating drum (211), for transporting the substrate along a substrate transport direction past one or more evaporation sources (100).

16. A method (300) of depositing a material on a substrate, comprising: evaporating (310) the material in a crucible; directing (320) the evaporated material toward the substrate via a distributor (120); as well as The temperature of the distributor (120) is controlled (330) at a temperature T d , where T d Equal to or higher than the melting temperature T of the material melting , and where T d Below the evaporation temperature T of the material evap (T melting ≤ T d < T evap ).

17. The method (300) of claim 16, further comprising recovering (340) material condensed on a wall of the distributor (120).

18. The method (300) of claim 17, wherein recovering (340) the condensed material comprises directing (341) the condensed material back to the crucible.

19. The method (300) according to any one of claims 17 to 18, further comprising cooling (350) a housing (150) surrounding the crucible (110) and at least partially surrounding the distributor (120).

20. A method of manufacturing a coated substrate, comprising using at least one of an evaporation source (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, a material deposition apparatus (200) according to claim 14 or 15, and a method (300) of depositing a material on a substrate according to any one of claims 16 to 19.

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