Linear evaporation device based on improved film thickness uniformity

Abstract

The application discloses a linear evaporation device based on improving film thickness uniformity, which comprises a substrate, a substrate conveying guide rail, a baffle, a point source and a uniformity improvement mechanism, the substrate, the substrate conveying guide rail, the baffle and the point source are sequentially arranged from top to bottom, the substrate is slidably arranged on the substrate conveying guide rail, the baffle is arranged below the substrate conveying guide rail, and the uniformity improvement mechanism is arranged between the baffle and the point source and fixed on the baffle; the uniformity improvement mechanism comprises a moving assembly and a special-shaped block fixed on the moving assembly; the moving assembly is slidably arranged on the baffle, and the special-shaped block is arranged close to the point source; the linear evaporation device can be designed to be installed with different special-shaped blocks according to film thickness distribution, the film thickness distribution is adjusted, the large-size film thickness uniformity is improved, and the product quality is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of evaporation equipment, in particular to a linear evaporation device for improving film thickness uniformity. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the prior art, a high-temperature point source is used for evaporation in a metal chamber of an OLED small-size (below G6H) evaporation system. In order to meet a production time of more than 200 hours, a Revolve design is used for the metal point source. The Revolve design generally comprises a plurality of point sources. If the glass size continues to expand, the point source design of the existing metal chamber cannot meet the production needs. Therefore, a linear arrangement mode is used for the large-size (G8.5H and above) OLED evaporation equipment, and the point sources are arranged at a certain interval to form a linear source mode. The film thickness uniformity of the linearly arranged point sources is poor, which may cause a series of product problems such as uneven brightness.

[0003] CN109468608 discloses a linear evaporation device and an evaporation linear source control method. The patent mainly discloses a linear source control method, which solves the problem that the production is forced to stop when the probe fails during a long-time evaporation process of the linear evaporation machine. However, the film thickness uniformity problem still exists. SUMMARY

[0004] Based on the technical problems in the background art, the present application provides a linear evaporation device for improving film thickness uniformity, which improves the film thickness uniformity of large-size and improves the product quality.

[0005] The linear evaporation device for improving film thickness uniformity comprises a substrate, a substrate conveying guide rail, a baffle, a point source and a uniformity improvement mechanism. The substrate, the substrate conveying guide rail, the baffle and the point source are sequentially arranged from top to bottom. The substrate is slidably arranged on the substrate conveying guide rail. The baffle is arranged below the substrate conveying guide rail. The uniformity improvement mechanism is arranged between the baffle and the point source and fixed on the baffle.

[0006] Further, the uniformity improvement mechanism comprises a moving assembly and a special-shaped block fixed on the moving assembly. The moving assembly is slidably arranged on the baffle. The special-shaped block is arranged close to the point source.

[0007] Further, the special-shaped block is designed in an arc shape.

[0008] Further, the moving direction of the moving assembly on the baffle is parallel to the motion direction of the substrate.

[0009] Further, a plurality of point sources are sequentially arranged. The arrangement direction of the point sources is perpendicular to the motion direction of the substrate.

[0010] Further, a plurality of special-shaped blocks are sequentially arranged. The arrangement direction of the special-shaped blocks is parallel to the arrangement direction of the point sources.

[0011] Further, the distance between adjacent shaped blocks is equal to the distance between adjacent point sources.

[0012] The linear evaporation device based on improving film thickness uniformity provided by the present application has the advantages that: the linear evaporation device based on improving film thickness uniformity provided by the present application can be designed to install different shaped blocks according to film thickness distribution, adjust film thickness distribution, improve large-size film thickness uniformity, improve product quality, and the movement of the shaped blocks can be remotely controlled and adjusted, and the uniformity adjustment can be performed in a vacuum environment without the need for cooling, thereby saving the time for cooling, vacuumizing and re-heating, improving the operation rate of the linear evaporation device and improving the production capacity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the present application;

[0014] Figure 2 It is a film thickness distribution diagram corresponding to the position of the point source;

[0015] Figure 3 It is a side view of point source evaporation;

[0016] Figure 4 It is a side view of the baffle provided with the uniformity improvement mechanism;

[0017] Figure 5 It is a sectional view of the baffle provided with the uniformity improvement mechanism;

[0018] Figure 6 It is a top view of the baffle provided with the uniformity improvement mechanism;

[0019] Figure 7 It is a structural schematic diagram of shaped block design 1;

[0020] Figure 8 It is a structural schematic diagram of shaped block design 2;

[0021] Figure 9 It is a structural schematic diagram of the movement of the shaped block to position 1 and position 2;

[0022] Figure 10 It is a film thickness distribution diagram of the same type of shaped block at different positions for improving uniformity;

[0023] Figure 11 It is a film thickness distribution diagram of different types of shaped blocks at the same position for improving uniformity;

[0024] 1 - substrate, 2 - substrate conveying guide rail, 3 - baffle, 4 - point source, 5 - uniformity improvement mechanism, 51 - movement assembly, 52 - shaped block. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The technical solutions of the present application will be described in detail below with specific examples. In the following description, many specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be practiced in many different ways beyond the specific details described herein. It should be understood that the present application is not limited in any way by the specific implementation disclosed below.

[0026] The prior art AMOLED large size (G8.5H or above) point source is mainly composed of point sources arranged in a certain interval to form a linear source for evaporation. Once the position of the point source and the distance between the substrate and the point source are determined, it is difficult to improve the film thickness uniformity in the later stage. The film thickness uniformity of the metal plays a crucial role in large size AMOLED, especially in the top emitting device structure AMOLED product, which seriously affects the performance of the product. Therefore, the present embodiment proposes a linear evaporation device with a uniformity improvement mechanism to improve the film thickness uniformity.

[0027] As shown in Figures 1 to 11 , the present application proposes a linear evaporation device based on the improvement of film thickness uniformity, which comprises a substrate 1, a substrate conveying guide rail 2, a baffle 3, a point source 4 and a uniformity improvement mechanism 5. The substrate 1, the substrate conveying guide rail 2, the baffle 3 and the point source 4 are sequentially arranged from top to bottom. The substrate 1 is slidingly arranged on the substrate conveying guide rail 2. The baffle 3 is arranged below the substrate conveying guide rail 2. The uniformity improvement mechanism 5 is arranged between the baffle 3 and the point source 4 and is fixed on the baffle 3. The substrate 1 and the uniformity improvement mechanism 5 move along the arrow direction in Figure 1 .

[0028] In the film forming process of the large size OLED linear evaporation machine, the high temperature point source is arranged in a linear arrangement. As shown in Figure 2 , the film thickness is usually thicker at the center of the point source, and the film thickness is relatively thinner away from the center of the point source, which presents a wavy film thickness distribution on the substrate 1 with poor uniformity. The present embodiment sets the uniformity improvement mechanism 5 to improve the evaporation uniformity on the substrate 1, thereby improving the quality of the OLED product.

[0029] Firstly, the baffle 3 and the uniformity improvement mechanism 5 form a blocking mechanism. The two blocking mechanisms are symmetrically arranged with the arrangement direction of the point source 4 as the axis, and respectively partially block the two edge parts of the evaporation area of the point source 4 to avoid the thin film thickness at the edge to cause the evaporation thickness uniformity of the whole substrate 1. The profiled blocks 52 in the two blocking mechanisms are relatively movable, i.e. if the substrate 1 moves to the right, the profiled block 52 arranged on the left side of the point source 4 moves to the right, and the profiled block 52 arranged on the right side of the point source 4 moves to the left to effectively shield the two side edges of the evaporation area of the point source 4. The following description is made with the profiled block 52 arranged on the left side of the point source 4, and the profiled block 52 arranged on the right side of the point source 4 is specifically referred to the profiled block 52 arranged on the left side.

[0030] AsFigures 4 to 6 As shown, the uniformity improving mechanism 5 comprises a moving assembly 51 and a special-shaped block 52 fixed on the moving assembly 51; the moving assembly 51 is slidably arranged on the baffle 3, and the special-shaped block 52 is arranged close to the point source 4; the moving direction of the moving assembly 51 on the baffle 3 is parallel to the moving direction of the substrate 1.

[0031] The moving assembly 51 can be composed of a track, a sliding block and a telescopic cylinder; the sliding block is slidably arranged on the track, the track is fixedly arranged on the baffle 3, or the track is embedded in a groove formed on the baffle 3; the special-shaped block 52 is fixed on the sliding block; the telescopic cylinder is arranged on the baffle 3, and the telescopic end of the telescopic cylinder is fixedly connected with the sliding block; the sliding block is driven to slide on the track by the telescopic cylinder, so as to realize the movement of the special-shaped block 52.

[0032] In addition, the moving assembly 51 can be a linear module; the linear module is fixed on the baffle 3 or embedded in a groove formed on the baffle 3; the special-shaped block 52 is fixed on the sliding block of the linear module; the movement of the special-shaped block 52 is realized by the telescopic movement of the linear module.

[0033] In the above two forms or other realizable structures of the moving assembly 51, the telescopic cylinder and the linear module or other driving structures are connected with the upper computer signal, so as to realize the remote control of the movement of the telescopic cylinder and the linear module or other driving structures by the upper computer, and then realize the remote control of the movement of the special-shaped block 52.

[0034] It should be noted that when a plurality of special-shaped blocks 52 are arranged, the plurality of special-shaped blocks 52 can be synchronously arranged on the same sliding block to realize synchronous movement, or can be arranged on different sliding blocks to realize synchronous movement by controlling the displacement of the different sliding blocks by the upper computer; the special-shaped blocks 52 arranged on different sliding blocks can be controlled by the upper computer to adjust the displacement of the special-shaped blocks 52, so that the requirement of different evaporation thicknesses at different positions can also be met.

[0035] The plurality of point sources 4 are arranged in sequence, and the arrangement direction of the point sources 4 is perpendicular to the moving direction of the substrate 1; after the linearly arranged point sources 4 form a film, the film thickness distribution presents a wave shape, and the uniformity is relatively poor; therefore, the special-shaped block 52 is used to mask the edge region of the evaporation region formed by the linearly arranged point sources 4, so that the evaporation film thickness distribution of the linearly arranged point sources 4 tends to be a curve with a smaller amplitude from a wave shape with a larger amplitude, and the evaporation film thickness on the substrate 1 tends to be uniform.

[0036] For the positional relationship between the shaped block 52 and the point source 4, the shaped block 52 is designed according to product needs, two point sources 4 can be shielded by the same shaped block 52, and it is not excluded that three or more point sources are shielded by the same shaped block 52. Since the shaped block 52 is designed in an arc shape and the linearly arranged point sources 4 result in a wave-shaped evaporation film thickness, the arc-shaped shaped block 52 adjusts the wave-shaped edge to a certain consistency.

[0037] Preferably, each point source 4 corresponds to one shaped block 52, and a plurality of shaped blocks 52 are arranged in sequence. The arrangement direction of the shaped block 52 is parallel to the arrangement direction of the point source 4. The distance between adjacent shaped blocks 52 is equal to the distance between adjacent point sources 4. The shaped block 52 is designed in an arc shape, and the linearly arranged point sources 4 result in a wave-shaped evaporation film thickness. Each arc-shaped shaped block 52 shields the corresponding wave-shaped edge, thereby achieving one-to-one shielding of each point source 4. At this time, compared to when two or more point sources 4 share the same shaped block 52, the film thickness uniformity effect is better.

[0038] It can be understood that the shaped block 52 is designed in shape according to the film thickness distribution during evaporation of the point source 4, and the design size ratio of the shaped block, the evaporation opening size, and the substrate size are all related. When the film thickness calibration before production does not meet the corresponding specifications, the corresponding adjustment can be made by setting the moving distance of the shaped block 52.

[0039] Use process: The uniformity improvement mechanism 5 is arranged below the baffle 3. When moving above the baffle 3, the shaped block 52 is remotely controlled to move in the same direction as the substrate 1. When the shaped block 52 moves to the set position, the substrate 1 moves on the substrate conveying guide rail 2 above the point source 4. Through the partial blocking effect of the shaped block 52, the point source 4 performs evaporation on the substrate 1, and the substrate 1 with improved film thickness uniformity is obtained. In this embodiment, the film thickness uniformity improvement is relative to the evaporation uniformity of the substrate 1 when only the baffle 3 is used to partially block the point source 4.

[0040] It should be noted that the substrate conveying guide rail 2 is driven to move by a driving mechanism (such as a servo motor). The substrate 1 moves forward on the moving substrate conveying guide rail and is evaporated by the point source 4 during the movement. The uniformity is improved by the shaped block 52 during evaporation.

[0041] Supplementary explanatory material: In order to better understand the simple embodiment

[0042] The size of the substrate 1 is 300x 300mm, and the evaporation opening area of the equipment is 300x 700mm.

[0043] As an embodiment, when the shaped block 52 is designed as the size and shape of design 1, the film thickness uniformity is 3.88% before the uniformity improvement mechanism 5 is used. As shown inFigure 2 As shown in the film thickness distribution, the film thickness is thicker directly above point source 4. To improve the film thickness uniformity, a design was created as follows: Figure 7 The irregular block design 1 shown is as follows: Figure 9 As shown, when the irregular block 52 moves to position 1, by Figure 9 It can be seen that the intermediate film thickness has been reduced due to the action of the irregular block 52, and the film thickness uniformity has been improved to 3.38%. In order to further improve the film thickness uniformity, the position of the irregular block 52 is remotely controlled by the host computer, so that the irregular block 52 is moved to position 2, and the film thickness uniformity is improved to 2.79%. Through this remote control method of improving film thickness, the film thickness uniformity can be improved conveniently and quickly.

[0044] As a second embodiment, to further improve the film thickness uniformity, different types of irregularly shaped baffles can be designed, such as... Figure 8 When the irregular block 52 shown is the size and shape of Design 2 (relative to Embodiment 1), the film thickness uniformity of Design 2 can be improved from 3.88% to 2.03% compared to the irregular block design 1, showing a significant improvement effect; furthermore, due to Figure 11 It can be seen that the distribution shape of the film thickness can be adjusted by changing the position and design shape, which makes it easier to match the film thickness distribution of the entire OLED device to improve the product's optical performance.

[0045] Combining Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2, the relationship between the shape of the irregular block design and the uniformity of the film thickness is shown in the following table:

[0046]

[0047] According to the table above, it can be clearly seen that when the irregular block 52 is not designed, which corresponds to the case without the irregular block 52 in the traditional case, the film thickness uniformity is 3.88%. When the irregular block 52 is the shape of Design 1, the film thickness uniformity is 3.38% when the irregular block 52 moves 10mm, the film thickness uniformity is 2.79% when the irregular block 52 moves 20mm, and the film thickness uniformity is 2.03% when the irregular block 52 is Design 2.

[0048] Therefore, comparing numbers 1 and 2 in the table above, we can conclude that the presence of the irregularly shaped block 52 has a certain improving effect on film thickness uniformity. Comparing numbers 2 and 3 in the table above, we can conclude that the same shape of irregularly shaped block 52 has different degrees of improvement on film thickness uniformity at different movement distances. In practical use, the optimal position for improving film thickness uniformity can be found by adjusting the movement distance of the irregularly shaped block 52. Comparing numbers 2 and 4 in the table above, different shapes of irregularly shaped blocks 52 have different degrees of improvement on film thickness uniformity when moving to the same position. Therefore, in practical use, the optimal shape for improving film thickness uniformity can be gradually found by changing the shape of the irregularly shaped block 52.

[0049] Therefore, the linear evaporation device in the embodiment can design and install different shaped blocks according to the film thickness distribution, adjust the film thickness distribution, improve the uniformity of the large-size film thickness, improve the product quality, and the movement of the shaped blocks can be remotely controlled and adjusted. The uniformity adjustment can be performed in a vacuum environment without the need for cooling, saving the time for cooling, vacuumizing and re-heating, improving the operation rate of the linear evaporation device and the production capacity.

[0050] The above merely describes the preferred embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can make equivalent replacements or changes to the technical solutions and the inventive concept of the present application within the technical range disclosed by the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A linear vapor deposition apparatus for improving film thickness uniformity, characterized in that, The system includes a substrate (1), a substrate conveying guide rail (2), a baffle (3), a point source (4), and a uniformity improvement mechanism (5). The substrate (1), substrate conveying guide rail (2), baffle (3), and point source (4) are arranged sequentially from top to bottom. The substrate (1) is slidably disposed on the substrate conveying guide rail (2). The baffle (3) is disposed below the substrate conveying guide rail (2). The uniformity improvement mechanism (5) is disposed between the baffle (3) and the point source (4) and is fixed on the baffle (3). The uniformity improvement mechanism (5) includes a moving component (51) and a shaped block (52) fixed on the moving component (51); the moving component (51) is slidably disposed on the baffle (3), and the shaped block (52) is disposed close to the point source (4); The irregular block (52) is designed in an arc shape, and the evaporation film thickness obtained by the point source (4) is wavy, with the arc shape blocking the wavy edge.

2. The linear vapor deposition apparatus based on improved film thickness uniformity according to claim 1, characterized in that, The moving component (51) moves in the direction of the baffle (3) parallel to the moving direction of the substrate (1).

3. The linear vapor deposition apparatus based on improved film thickness uniformity according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple point sources (4) are arranged in sequence, and the arrangement direction of the point sources (4) is perpendicular to the movement direction of the substrate (1); Multiple irregular blocks (52) are arranged in sequence, and the arrangement direction of the irregular blocks (52) is parallel to the arrangement direction of the point source (4).

4. The linear vapor deposition apparatus based on improved film thickness uniformity according to claim 3, characterized in that, The distance between adjacent irregular blocks (52) is equal to the distance between adjacent point sources (4).

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