Evaporation coating equipment and coating thickness monitoring and calibration method

Abstract

The present invention relates to an evaporation coating device and a coating thickness monitoring and calibration method, comprising a cavity; a crucible unit, which is arranged in the cavity, and the crucible unit includes at least one crucible; a heating unit, which is arranged in the cavity, and the heating unit is used to heat at least one crucible, so that the evaporation material in the crucible is heated and evaporated and sprayed to the carrier to be coated; an evaporation rate monitoring unit, including a first monitoring device and a movable second monitoring device, the first monitoring device is connected to the crucible to monitor the evaporation rate of the crucible; the second monitoring device can be driven to move along the layout direction of the crucible unit, and the second monitoring device is used to monitor the evaporation rate of the crucible; a film thickness testing unit, which includes a film thickness tester. The present invention can effectively avoid the waste of evaporation materials, can complete the calibration of coating thickness in a short time, and the operation is relatively simple, effectively improves the calibration efficiency of coating thickness after maintenance, and further improves production efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of evaporative coating, and in particular to an evaporative coating device and a coating thickness monitoring and calibration method. Background Art

[0002] Evaporation coating technology refers to the process of evaporating a substance by heating so that it is deposited on a solid surface. It can be heated by various types of heating sources, so that the evaporated coating material can be fully evaporated and deposited on the surface of the material to be coated. In the actual production process, the equipment needs to be maintained, which is conducive to the long-term stable operation of the equipment and prolongs its service life. Specifically, when the crucible in the evaporation coating equipment is maintained, the film thickness monitoring system will be operated. Since the operation will cause hardware changes in the film thickness monitoring system, and the hardware changes will bring some subtle changes, the coating thickness on the carrier will deviate during the subsequent evaporation process, which is different from the standard coating thickness. In the prior art, after the crucible cavity is maintained, the film thickness of each crucible will be recalibrated separately. The existing calibration methods specifically include: 1. Coating on the carrier; 2. After the coating is completed, the carrier is removed and the film thickness of the carrier is measured; 3. Modify the compensation value in the corresponding film thickness monitoring system.

[0003] The defect of the prior art is that the existing calibration method requires the continuous removal of the coated carrier, measurement of the coating thickness, and then comparison of the coating thickness with the standard value. The above process is relatively cumbersome and takes a long time to complete, during which there is a serious waste of evaporation materials. The more crucibles there are in the cavity, the more waste there will be for evaporation materials. Summary of the invention

[0004] To this end, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies in the prior art and provide an evaporation coating device and a coating thickness monitoring and calibration method, which can avoid the waste of evaporation materials, complete the calibration of the coating thickness in a short time, and is relatively simple to operate, effectively improve the calibration efficiency of the coating thickness after maintenance, and thus can also improve production efficiency.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides an evaporation coating device, comprising: Cavity; A crucible unit, which is disposed in the cavity, and the crucible unit includes at least one crucible; A heating unit is disposed in the cavity, and is used to heat at least one of the crucibles so that the evaporation material in the crucible is evaporated and sprayed onto the carrier to be coated; an evaporation rate monitoring unit, which is arranged in the chamber, and comprises a first monitoring device and a movable second monitoring device, wherein the first monitoring device is connected to the crucible to monitor the evaporation rate of the crucible; the second monitoring device can be driven to move along the arrangement direction of the crucible unit, and the second monitoring device is used to monitor the evaporation rate of the crucible; A film thickness testing unit, comprising a film thickness tester, the film thickness tester being electrically connected to the first monitoring device and the second monitoring device to monitor the film thickness of the carrier after coating; A control unit is connected to the heating unit, the film thickness testing unit and the evaporation rate monitoring unit, and calculates a new compensation value according to the coating thickness monitoring result of the crucible unit, and the control unit calibrates the coating thickness according to the new compensation value.

[0006] In one embodiment of the present invention, a driving member is further included, and the driving member is connected to the second monitoring device to drive the second monitoring device to operate.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, it also includes a guide rail assembly, which is installed in the cavity, and the extension direction of the guide rail assembly is the same as the layout direction of the crucible unit. The second monitoring device is slidably connected to the guide rail assembly, and the second monitoring device can move along the layout direction of the crucible unit.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, the crucible unit comprises a first crucible, a second crucible and a third crucible which are sequentially arranged at intervals along a first direction, and the extending direction of the guide rail assembly is the same as the first direction.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, three first monitoring devices are provided and are respectively connected to the first crucible, the second crucible and the third crucible to monitor the evaporation rates of the first crucible, the second crucible and the third crucible respectively.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, the heating unit comprises a heating power source and a heating wire assembly, wherein the heating wire assembly is connected to the heating power source, and the heating wire assembly is connected to the crucible unit to heat the crucible unit.

[0011] The present invention also provides a coating thickness monitoring and calibration method, which uses the above-mentioned evaporation coating device to calibrate the coating thickness. The coating thickness monitoring and calibration method includes: Step S1, obtaining an original compensation value of the coating thickness of the crucible to be calibrated; Step S2, setting an initial position A, moving the second monitoring device from the initial position A to a designated position B, the designated position B being opposite to the position where the first monitoring device is located, the second monitoring device staying at the designated position B for a designated time S, putting a carrier to be coated into the cavity, and performing vapor deposition on the carrier to be coated; Step S3, obtaining a first film thickness D1 and a second film thickness D2, and calculating evaporation rates of the first monitoring device and the second monitoring device, wherein the evaporation rate of the first monitoring device is the first film thickness D1 / specified time S, and the evaporation rate of the second monitoring device is the second film thickness D2 / specified time S; Step S4, moving the second monitoring device from the designated position B to the initial position A; Step S5, calculating a new compensation value, where the new compensation value = the evaporation rate of the second monitoring device / the evaporation rate of the first monitoring device*the original compensation value=the first film thickness D1 / the second film thickness D2*the original compensation value; Step S6: The control unit obtains the new compensation value, and performs coating thickness calibration according to the new compensation value.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, in step S3, the coating thickness of the carrier is tested by a film thickness tester.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, in step S1, the original compensation value needs to be obtained when the crucible to be calibrated is used for the first time, and the method for obtaining the original compensation value includes: Step S11, putting a carrier into the cavity and performing vapor deposition on the carrier; Step S12, removing the carrier from the cavity, measuring the coating thickness on the carrier, and calculating and obtaining the original compensation value by comparing the coating thickness with the standard coating thickness.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the original compensation value is 100%.

[0015] The above technical solution of the present invention has the following advantages compared with the prior art: An evaporation coating device described in the present invention is provided with a cavity, a crucible unit, a heating unit, an evaporation rate monitoring unit, a film thickness testing unit and a control unit, wherein the crucible unit, the heating unit and the film thickness testing unit are arranged in the cavity, the heating unit heats the crucible unit to achieve evaporation coating, and the evaporated material is sprayed onto the carrier to be coated, the evaporation rate monitoring unit comprises a first monitoring device and a second monitoring device which is movably arranged, the second monitoring device can move along the arrangement direction of the crucible unit, so that the actual coating thickness of the crucible after maintenance can be monitored by the second monitoring device, and this is used as a reference for the coating thickness of the crucible, and cooperates with the film thickness testing unit and the control unit to obtain the coating thickness monitoring result of the crucible unit and calculate a new compensation value, and then the control unit can calibrate the coating thickness according to the new compensation value. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to make the contents of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below according to specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0017] Figure 1 It is a statistical chart of the actual coating thickness of the crucible before maintenance in actual production.

[0018] Figure 2 It is a statistical chart of the actual coating thickness deviation after crucible maintenance in actual production.

[0019] Figure 3 It is a statistical chart of the actual coating thickness deviation after crucible maintenance in actual production.

[0020] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the evaporation coating equipment according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of an evaporation chamber in the prior art.

[0022] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the first state of the coating thickness calibration method according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the second state of the coating thickness calibration method according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Description of the accompanying drawings in the specification: 1. chamber; 2. crucible unit; 3. heating unit; 40. first monitoring device; 41. second monitoring device; 5. film thickness tester; 61. host computer; 62. controller; 7. driving member; 8. guide rail assembly; DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The present invention is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments so that those skilled in the art can better understand the present invention and implement it, but the embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0026] Combination Figures 1 to 3 As shown in the figure, in the actual working process of evaporation coating, according to the statistics of multiple monitoring results, it can be known that: Figure 1 This is a statistical chart of the actual coating thickness before the crucible maintenance; Figure 2 The statistical chart of the actual coating thickness deviation after maintenance is: 308.7 / 300=1.03, a difference of 3%; Figure 3 This is a statistical chart of the actual coating thickness deviation after maintenance: 286.5 / 300=0.955, a difference of 4.5%.

[0027] In general, after maintenance, the coating thickness will deviate by about ±5%, and the deviation may be greater due to hardware reasons. Therefore, the film thickness needs to be recalibrated after maintenance. Example

[0028] Reference Figure 4 As shown, the present invention discloses an evaporation coating device, comprising a chamber 1; The evaporation coating device further comprises a crucible unit 2, which is arranged in the chamber 1 and comprises at least one crucible; The evaporation coating device further comprises a heating unit 3, which is disposed in the cavity 1 and is used to heat the crucible unit 2 so that the evaporation material in at least one crucible is evaporated by the heat and sprayed onto the carrier to be coated.

[0029] The evaporation coating equipment also includes an evaporation rate monitoring unit, which is arranged in the chamber 1. Specifically, the evaporation rate monitoring unit includes a first monitoring device 40 and a movable second monitoring device 41. The first monitoring device 41 is connected to the crucible to monitor the evaporation rate of the crucible; the second monitoring device 42 can be driven to move along the layout direction of the crucible unit 2, and the second monitoring device 42 is used to monitor the evaporation rate of the crucible.

[0030] The evaporation coating device further includes a film thickness testing unit, which includes a film thickness tester 5, and the film thickness tester 5 is electrically connected to the first monitoring device 41 and the second monitoring device 42 to monitor the film thickness of the carrier after coating; The evaporation coating equipment also includes a control unit, which includes a host computer 61 and a controller 62. The control unit is connected to the heating unit 3, the film thickness testing unit and the evaporation rate monitoring unit. A new compensation value is calculated based on the coating thickness monitoring result of the crucible unit, and the control unit calibrates the coating thickness based on the new compensation value.

[0031] It can be known that an evaporation coating device to be protected by the present invention is provided with a cavity, a crucible unit, a heating unit, an evaporation rate monitoring unit, a film thickness testing unit and a control unit, wherein the crucible unit, the heating unit and the film thickness testing unit are arranged in the cavity, the heating unit heats the crucible unit to realize evaporation coating, so that the evaporated material is sprayed onto the carrier to be coated, the evaporation rate monitoring unit includes a first monitoring device and a second monitoring device that is movably arranged, the second monitoring device can move along the layout direction of the crucible unit, so that the actual coating thickness of the crucible after maintenance can be monitored by the second monitoring device, and this is used as a benchmark for the coating thickness of the crucible, and cooperates with the film thickness testing unit and the control unit to obtain the coating thickness monitoring result of the crucible unit and calculate a new compensation value, so that the control unit can calibrate the coating thickness according to the new compensation value.

[0032] It needs to be explained that the coating compensation value = actual coating thickness / theoretical coating thickness.

[0033] Furthermore, in order to facilitate the control of the movement of the second monitoring device 42, the evaporation coating device further includes a driving member 7, which is connected to the second monitoring device 42 to drive the second monitoring device 42 to move. Specifically, the driving member 7 includes but is not limited to a driving motor.

[0034] As a preferred embodiment, the evaporation coating device further includes a guide rail assembly 8, which is mounted on the side wall of the chamber 1, and the extension direction of the guide rail assembly 8 is arranged in the same direction as the layout direction of the crucible unit 2. The second monitoring device 42 is slidably connected to the guide rail assembly 8, so that the second monitoring device 42 can move along the layout direction of the crucible unit 2.

[0035] In detail, the guide rail assembly 8 includes a track, and the second monitoring device 42 is slidably connected to the track and can move along the track.

[0036] As a preferred embodiment, the crucible unit 2 includes a first crucible, a second crucible and a third crucible which are sequentially arranged at intervals along a first direction, and the extending direction of the guide rail assembly 8 is the same as the first direction.

[0037] As a preferred embodiment, three first monitoring devices 41 are provided and respectively connected to the first crucible, the second crucible and the third crucible, so as to respectively monitor the evaporation rates of the first crucible, the second crucible and the third crucible.

[0038] As a preferred embodiment, the heating unit 3 includes a heating power supply 30 and a heating wire assembly, the heating wire assembly is connected to the heating power supply 30 , and the heating wire assembly is connected to the crucible unit 2 to heat the crucible unit 2 .

[0039] As a preferred implementation, the one-button film thickness calibration step can be completed through PID controller programming, and the specific process parameters are changed according to actual conditions. Example

[0040] The present invention also discloses a coating thickness monitoring and calibration method, which uses the evaporation coating device as described above to calibrate the coating thickness of the crucible. The coating thickness monitoring and calibration method includes: Step S1, obtaining an original compensation value of the coating thickness of the crucible to be calibrated; Step S2, setting an initial position A, moving the second monitoring device 42 from the initial position A to a designated position B, the designated position B being opposite to the position of the first monitoring device 41, the second monitoring device 42 staying at the designated position B for a designated time S, putting the carrier to be coated into the cavity, and performing vapor deposition on the carrier to be coated; Step S3 , obtaining the first film thickness D1 and the second film thickness D2 by measuring with the film thickness tester 5 , and calculating the evaporation rates of the first monitoring device 41 and the second monitoring device 42 .

[0041] The evaporation rate of the first monitoring device 41 is the first film thickness D1 / specified time S, and the evaporation rate of the second monitoring device 42 is the second film thickness D2 / specified time S; Step S4, moving the second monitoring device 42 from the designated position B to the initial position A; Step S5, calculating a new compensation value, the new compensation value = the evaporation rate of the second monitoring device 42 / the evaporation rate of the first monitoring device 41 * the original compensation value = D1 / D2 * the original compensation value; Step S6: The control unit obtains the new compensation value, and performs coating thickness calibration according to the new compensation value.

[0042] It should be noted that the initial position A and the designated position B are both located at the guide rail assembly 8. Figure 3 and Figure 4From the perspective of FIG. 1 , when the crucible unit 2 includes a first crucible, a second crucible and a third crucible, the designated position B corresponds to the position of the first crucible, the position C corresponds to the position of the second crucible, the position D corresponds to the position of the third crucible, and at the same time, the position C and the position D are located in the guide rail assembly 8.

[0043] Correspondingly, the process and method of calibrating the second crucible and the third crucible are the same as the above method. Specifically, when calibrating the second crucible, the second monitoring device 42 is moved to the position C; when calibrating the third crucible, the second monitoring device is moved to the position D.

[0044] As a preferred implementation, in step S3 , the coating thickness of the carrier is tested by a film thickness tester 5 .

[0045] As a preferred implementation, in step S1, the original compensation value needs to be obtained when the crucible to be calibrated is used for the first time. Specifically, the method for obtaining the original compensation value includes: Step S11, putting a carrier into the cavity 1, and performing vapor deposition on the carrier; Step S12, removing the carrier from the cavity, measuring the coating thickness on the carrier, and calculating and obtaining the original compensation value by comparing the coating thickness with the standard coating thickness, where the original compensation value = actual coating thickness / standard coating thickness (theoretical coating thickness).

[0046] It should be noted that, in an ideal situation, the original compensation value is 100%.

[0047] The following is one of the specific implementations, combined with Figure 2 , Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 As shown: Automatic calibration process for film thickness of crucible No. 1: The second monitoring device 42 moves from position A to position B; The second monitoring device 42 stays at position B for 5 minutes; The second monitoring device 42 moves from position B to position A; The control unit automatically calculates and updates the compensation value of the first monitoring device.

[0048] For example: Under known normal conditions, the evaporation rates of the first monitoring device and the second monitoring device are both 1A / S, where A is the thickness unit and S is the time.

[0049] Actual situation: Average rate of the second monitoring device within 5 minutes: 1A / S; Average rate of the first monitoring device within 5 minutes: 0.5A / S; It is known that the original compensation value of the first monitoring device is 100%; New compensation value No. 1: 1 / 0.5*100=200%. After modification, the evaporation rate is 1A / S.

[0050] It can be seen from this that the coating thickness monitoring and calibration method of the present invention is adopted. Based on the above-mentioned evaporative coating equipment, the coating thickness calibration operation is performed on the crucible after maintenance, which can effectively avoid the waste of evaporation materials, complete the calibration of the coating thickness in a short time, and the operation is relatively simple, which effectively improves the calibration efficiency of the coating thickness after maintenance, and thus can also improve production efficiency.

[0051] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it is also necessary to explain that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "setting" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0052] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0053] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0054] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely examples for the purpose of clear explanation and are not intended to limit the implementation methods. For those skilled in the art, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the implementation methods here. The obvious changes or modifications derived therefrom are still within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An evaporation coating device, characterized in that: include, Cavity; A crucible unit, which is disposed in the cavity, and the crucible unit includes at least one crucible; A heating unit is disposed in the cavity, and is used to heat at least one of the crucibles so that the evaporation material in the crucible is evaporated and sprayed onto the carrier to be coated; an evaporation rate monitoring unit, which is arranged in the chamber, and comprises a first monitoring device and a movable second monitoring device, wherein the first monitoring device is connected to the crucible to monitor the evaporation rate of the crucible; the second monitoring device can be driven to move along the arrangement direction of the crucible unit, and the second monitoring device is used to monitor the evaporation rate of the crucible; A film thickness testing unit, comprising a film thickness tester, the film thickness tester being electrically connected to the first monitoring device and the second monitoring device to monitor the film thickness of the carrier after coating; A control unit is connected to the heating unit, the film thickness testing unit and the evaporation rate monitoring unit, and calculates a new compensation value according to the coating thickness monitoring result of the crucible unit, and the control unit calibrates the coating thickness according to the new compensation value.

2. The evaporation coating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a driving member, which is connected to the second monitoring device to drive the second monitoring device to operate.

3. The evaporation coating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a guide rail assembly, which is installed in the cavity. The extension direction of the guide rail assembly is the same as the layout direction of the crucible unit. The second monitoring device is slidably connected to the guide rail assembly and can move along the layout direction of the crucible unit.

4. The evaporation coating device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The crucible unit comprises a first crucible, a second crucible and a third crucible which are sequentially arranged at intervals along a first direction, and an extending direction of the guide rail assembly is the same as the first direction.

5. The evaporation coating device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first monitoring devices are provided in three numbers and are connected to the first crucible, the second crucible and the third crucible respectively, so as to monitor the evaporation rates of the first crucible, the second crucible and the third crucible respectively.

6. An evaporation coating device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The heating unit comprises a heating power source and a heating wire assembly, wherein the heating wire assembly is connected to the heating power source, and the heating wire assembly is connected to the crucible unit to heat the crucible unit.

7. A coating thickness monitoring and calibration method, characterized in that: The coating thickness is calibrated using an evaporation coating device as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, and the coating thickness monitoring and calibration method comprises: Step S1, obtaining an original compensation value of the coating thickness of the crucible to be calibrated; Step S2, setting an initial position A, moving the second monitoring device from the initial position A to a designated position B, the designated position B being opposite to the position where the first monitoring device is located, the second monitoring device staying at the designated position B for a designated time S, putting a carrier to be coated into the cavity, and performing vapor deposition on the carrier to be coated; Step S3, obtaining a first film thickness D1 and a second film thickness D2, and calculating evaporation rates of the first monitoring device and the second monitoring device, wherein the evaporation rate of the first monitoring device is the first film thickness D1 / specified time S, and the evaporation rate of the second monitoring device is the second film thickness D2 / specified time S; Step S4, moving the second monitoring device from the designated position B to the initial position A; Step S5, calculating a new compensation value, where the new compensation value = the evaporation rate of the second monitoring device / the evaporation rate of the first monitoring device*the original compensation value=the first film thickness D1 / the second film thickness D2*the original compensation value; Step S6: The control unit obtains the new compensation value, and performs coating thickness calibration according to the new compensation value.

8. A coating thickness monitoring and calibration method according to claim 7, characterized in that: In step S3, the coating thickness of the carrier is tested by a film thickness tester.

9. A coating thickness monitoring and calibration method according to claim 7, characterized in that: In step S1, the original compensation value needs to be obtained when the crucible to be calibrated is used for the first time. The method for obtaining the original compensation value includes: Step S11, putting a carrier into the cavity and performing vapor deposition on the carrier; Step S12, removing the carrier from the cavity, measuring the coating thickness on the carrier, and calculating and obtaining the original compensation value by comparing the coating thickness with the standard coating thickness.

10. A coating thickness monitoring and calibration method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The original compensation value is 100%.

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