Alignment device, evaporation cavity, evaporation method and automatic evaporation system

Abstract

The invention discloses an alignment device, an evaporation cavity, an evaporation method and an automatic evaporation system.The alignment device comprises a plate frame, an alignment part body, a first lifting main part and a second lifting part, the alignment part body is arranged on the plate frame, and the first lifting main part and the second lifting part are arranged on the alignment part body; wherein the first lifting headquarter part is configured to drive the reference part to move to a second phase in the vertical direction, and the reference part generates a separation action; the second lifting part is configured to drive the to-be-aligned part to move close to or away from the reference part in the vertical direction; the alignment part body is configured to drive the to-be-aligned part to execute alignment action based on the position error between the to-be-aligned part and the reference part when the reference part is in the disengaged state. The device has the beneficial effects that after the substrate and the mask are accurately aligned, the substrate is reset to the initial position, and the substrate can be conveniently grabbed and placed by a mechanical arm.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of evaporation technology, and in particular to an alignment device, an evaporation chamber, an evaporation method, and an automatic evaporation system. Background Art

[0002] There are two main types of existing vacuum evaporation devices: linear vacuum evaporation devices and disc vacuum evaporation devices.

[0003] The linear vacuum evaporation device starts from the feed chamber, and each process chamber is connected in a linear manner. The substrate is transported in each chamber by a transmission mechanism. Usually, the mask is kept stationary and the substrate is adjusted for precise positioning. However, if a problem occurs in a chamber with this method, the entire line must be shut down for repair before production can continue, which will affect the production rhythm.

[0004] The disc-type evaporation device uses a robot to transport substrates, and all chambers are distributed in a circular shape around the robot. The biggest advantage is that each chamber can be opened and closed independently, and it occupies a small area. Since the robot's pick-up and placement position is fixed, if the mask is not moved and the substrate is adjusted for precise alignment, the position of the substrate will change each time it returns to the material retrieval position after evaporation. After being transferred through multiple chambers, the substrate mark will exceed the mask mark recognition range, causing alignment failure.

[0005] The information disclosed in this background section is only intended to enhance understanding of the overall background of the invention and should not be considered as an admission or any form of suggestion that the information constitutes the prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is how to ensure the precise alignment of the substrate and the mask without affecting the production cycle.

[0007] The present invention solves the above technical problems through the following technical means:

[0008] The present invention claims protection for a positioning device, comprising a plate frame, a positioning component body, a first lifting component and a second lifting component, wherein the positioning component body is provided on the plate frame, and the first lifting component and the second lifting component are installed on the positioning component body;

[0009] The first lifting assembly is configured to drive the reference member to move vertically to a second phase, causing the reference member to separate;

[0010] The second lifting component is configured to drive the to-be-aligned member to move toward or away from the reference member in the vertical direction;

[0011] The alignment component body is configured to drive the member to be aligned to perform an alignment action based on a position error between the member to be aligned and the reference member when the reference member is in a disengaged state.

[0012] Preferably, the first lifting component includes a first drive assembly, a hanger and a phase separation unit, the alignment component body is provided with the first drive assembly, the output end of the first drive assembly passes through the plate frame, and the lower output end of the first drive assembly is connected to the hanger, wherein the first drive assembly is configured to drive the hanger to move in the vertical direction;

[0013] The hanger is equipped with a phase separation unit, which is provided with a reference part. The phase separation unit is configured to move to form an interference fit with the bottom end of the plate frame, and the hanger and the phase separation unit produce a separation action, wherein, when the phase separation unit is in interference fit with the bottom end of the plate frame, the phase of the reference part is the second phase.

[0014] Preferably, the phase separation unit includes a pressure plate, a hanging plate and a guide shaft. The pressure plate is located directly below the hanging bracket. The hanging plates are symmetrically arranged on the upper surface of the pressure plate along the center line of the pressure plate. The hanging plates are in an inverted L shape and are hung on both sides of the hanging bracket.

[0015] The pressure plate surface located on the outside of the hanger is symmetrically provided with guide holes along the center line of the pressure plate, the axis of the guide hole is plumb, and the guide hole and the guide shaft form a sliding fit, and a first supporting boss is provided on the bottom side of the guide shaft, and a reference part is placed on the first supporting boss, wherein the length of the reference part is smaller than the spacing at the bottom end of the plate frame, and the spacing at the bottom end of the plate frame is smaller than the length of the pressure plate.

[0016] Preferably, the hanger has an inverted T-shaped cross-section configuration, a positioning groove is provided on the upper surface of the hanger crossbar, the positioning groove is a tapered groove, and a positioning bolt is provided on the lower surface of the hanger plate at a corresponding position of the positioning groove.

[0017] Preferably, the second lifting component includes a second driving assembly and an alignment frame, the second driving assembly is arranged above the alignment component body, the output end of the second driving assembly passes through the plate frame and the alignment component body, the output end of the second driving assembly is connected to the alignment frame, the alignment frame has a Π-shaped cross-section configuration, a second supporting boss is arranged on the bottom side of the alignment frame, and the part to be aligned is arranged on the second supporting boss, wherein the interval between the second supporting bosses is smaller than the length of the part to be aligned, and the length of the part to be aligned is smaller than the interval at the bottom end of the plate frame.

[0018] Preferably, the alignment component body includes a capture unit, an identification unit and an adjustment unit, and the identification units are provided at corresponding positions of the reference piece and the piece to be aligned, and the capture point of the capture unit coincides with the identification unit of the reference piece, wherein the capture unit is configured to capture the position error between the identification units;

[0019] An adjustment unit is installed on the plate frame, and the adjustment unit is configured to drive the second lifting component to generate a position and angle alignment positioning action based on the position error.

[0020] Preferably, the capture unit includes an alignment camera and at least two reflecting prisms. The alignment camera is installed on the plate frame, and at least two reflecting prisms are set on the alignment frame. One end of the light path formed by the at least two reflecting prisms is aligned with the alignment camera lens, and the other end of the light path is aligned with the reference part recognition unit. The exit point of the light path forms the capture point of the capture unit.

[0021] Preferably, the plate frame has a Π-shaped cross-section configuration, a third supporting boss is protruding from the bottom side of the plate frame, the interval between the third supporting bosses is the interval of the bottom end of the plate frame, and the third supporting boss is provided with an adjusting screw.

[0022] The present invention also claims protection for a vapor deposition chamber, using a positioning device, comprising:

[0023] chamber;

[0024] The alignment device is horizontally arranged in the chamber, and the chamber is divided into a first area and a second area by a plate frame, wherein the first area is located at the bottom and is configured to be in a vacuum state, and the reference part and the part to be aligned are located in the first area;

[0025] The evaporation device is arranged on the side of the workpiece to be aligned away from the reference workpiece, and the evaporation range of the evaporation device is staggered with the alignment device.

[0026] The present invention also claims protection for a vapor deposition method, using the vapor deposition chamber described in the claims, comprising:

[0027] configuring the first region to be in a vacuum state;

[0028] Grab the reference part and place it in the first phase, wherein when the alignment device is in the zero state, the phase of the reference part is the first phase;

[0029] The alignment device is started, and based on the reference part, the position error between the part to be aligned and the reference part is aligned to be less than a predetermined threshold value, wherein the predetermined threshold value is preset;

[0030] Start the evaporation device and perform the evaporation operation;

[0031] The zeroing alignment device resets the reference part to the first phase.

[0032] Preferably, the alignment device performs the alignment action including:

[0033] The first lifting component is started to drive the reference component to move vertically to the second phase, and the reference component generates a separation action;

[0034] The aligning component body is activated, and when the reference part is in a disengaged state, the aligning component is driven to perform an aligning action based on a position error between the aligning component and the reference part until the position error is less than a predetermined threshold value;

[0035] The second lifting component is started to drive the part to be aligned to move to the third phase, wherein the third phase is the phase of the part to be aligned when the part to be aligned is in contact with the reference part and the first lifting component is in the maximum driving stroke state.

[0036] Preferably, the alignment action performed by the alignment component body specifically includes:

[0037] Start the capture unit to detect whether the position error between the capture and identification units is less than a predetermined threshold. If so, start the evaporation device. If not, start the adjustment unit. When the reference part is in a detached state, drive the part to be aligned to perform an alignment action based on the reference part until the position error is less than a predetermined threshold.

[0038] The present invention claims protection for an automatic evaporation system, applied to an evaporation chamber, comprising an atmospheric chamber b, a transfer chamber, a feed chamber, a manipulator, and at least one process chamber. At least one process chamber and a feed chamber are arranged in a circular array outside the transfer chamber. The transfer chamber is connected to the feed chamber and the process chamber, respectively, and the opening and closing of the connected parts are independent of each other. The manipulator is disposed in the transfer chamber, and the process chamber is the evaporation chamber.

[0039] The feed chamber is configured to be in a vacuum state, and the robot is configured to grab the substrate from the first phase of the process chamber or place the substrate at the first phase of the process chamber; when the alignment device returns to zero, the phase of the substrate is the first phase.

[0040] Preferably, a first vacuum isolation valve is provided at the communication portion between the feed chamber and the transmission chamber, and a corresponding second vacuum isolation valve is provided at the communication portion between the transmission chamber and the process chamber.

[0041] The advantages of the present invention are:

[0042] 1. The present invention claims protection for a positioning device, which disengages the reference part from the first lifting component by setting the first lifting component to move to the second phase, so that the positioning component body can drive the part to be aligned with reference to the reference part for alignment; the advantages of this design are, firstly, when the positioning component body is aligned, the reference part is ensured to be in a stationary state, so that the error is small and the accuracy is high during alignment; secondly, although the reference part may disengage during the movement of the first lifting component, in fact, the positioning device itself is still a whole, which ensures the integrity of the device.

[0043] 2. When the first lifting component is in operation, the first drive assembly drives the first drive assembly to move downward until the pressure plate contacts and cooperates with the bottom end of the plate frame. At the same time, the first lifting component continues to descend, and the hanging plates are hung on both sides of the hanging frames. Due to the support of the pressure plate, the hanging frames and the phase separation unit are separated. At this time, the phase separation unit and the reference part are placed on the plate frame and are in a stationary state, while the part to be aligned, the second lifting component, the first drive assembly and the hanging frames are all located on the alignment component body. Therefore, although the alignment device is an integral component, the alignment component body drives the part to be aligned to perform the alignment action based on the reference part.

[0044] Third, the second drive assembly is provided with an alignment frame, which has two functions: first, to place the part to be aligned; and second, to accommodate part of the alignment component body. By setting the spacing between the second support bosses to be smaller than the length of the part to be aligned, and the length of the part to be aligned to be smaller than the spacing at the bottom of the plate frame, the part to be aligned can be driven through the bottom of the plate frame to align with the reference part, and even push the reference part upward. Obviously, when the part to be aligned and the reference part are aligned, the positional error between them can be better judged, facilitating the precise alignment of the alignment component body.

[0045] 4. The main body of the alignment component includes an identification unit, a capture unit and an adjustment unit. Generally speaking, the identification unit sets marks on the corresponding positions of the workpiece to be aligned and the reference workpiece. The alignment camera forms a light path to the mark through a reflective prism, which can well judge the position error. Based on the position error, the second drive component is started to adjust the alignment of the workpiece to be aligned. This is not only highly accurate and easy for personnel to observe, but also has a high degree of automation, saving labor costs.

[0046] 5. A positioning groove is set on the hanger, and a corresponding positioning bolt is set on the lower surface of the hanger. This setting is achieved through the adaptive cooperation ability of the tapered positioning groove and the positioning bolt. After alignment, when the phase separation unit is re-mounted on the hanger, it is reset to the initial state. That is to say, the initial position of the reference part before alignment and the reset position after alignment are consistent, which is conducive to the placement of the reference part at the next workstation and the grasping of the reference part at the previous workstation.

[0047] 6. The present invention also claims protection for a vapor deposition chamber, which is divided into a first area and a second area by a plate frame, ensuring that the first area is configured in a vacuum state. The vapor deposition chamber is aligned by setting an alignment device, and the alignment of the substrate and the mask is achieved by the alignment device, and the vapor deposition operation is performed by the vapor deposition device.

[0048] 7. The present invention also claims protection for a vapor deposition method, which uses a vapor deposition chamber to achieve the following two advantages: Advantage 1. The positioning is always performed on the part to be positioned, so the initial position of the reference part before vapor deposition and the reset position after vapor deposition remain consistent, which is convenient for ensuring the uniformity of the position of the previous workstation and the position of the next workstation. Advantage 2: During the alignment process, the capture unit can capture the position error between the recognition units at any time. When the position error is less than a predetermined threshold, the first lifting assembly can be activated to drive the reference member to move vertically to the second phase, causing the reference member to disengage. Alignment is performed in the disengaged state of the reference member. In this way, not only can the position of the reference member be kept consistent during the alignment process, but the alignment accuracy is also higher. Moreover, it is obvious that when the alignment device is in operation, the capture unit is in a real-time monitoring state. Therefore, real-time capture can be performed when the reference member and the member to be aligned are in any state, such as offset or aligned. Moreover, when aligned, the monitoring accuracy is obviously higher. However, direct single adjustment in precise adjustment will also destroy the alignment effect. Therefore, the alignment here can be performed in real time when the reference member and the member to be aligned are offset, and then the adjustment unit is driven to perform multiple preliminary adjustments based on the capture results. When the reference member and the member to be aligned are aligned, the capture unit is captured in real time. At this time, it is obvious that the capture accuracy of the capture unit is higher. The adjustment unit is driven to make final adjustments based on the capture results. The specific operation of the adjustment unit is: start the first lifting component, drive the reference component to move vertically to the second phase, and the reference component produces a disengagement action; when the reference component is disengaged, start the alignment component body to perform an alignment action on the part to be aligned.

[0049] 8. The present invention also claims to protect an automatic evaporation system, which sets a feed chamber to store the reference part transported in the atmospheric chamber, and then the robot grabs the reference part and places it at the first phase of the process chamber. The process chamber is configured to adjust the alignment of the part to be aligned and the reference part based on the reference part, perform the evaporation operation and reset the reference part to the first phase. The reference part is grabbed by the robot and enters the feed chamber, and then flows from the process chamber. The whole process is carried out in a vacuum environment, with a high degree of automation. In addition, in the traditional mode, the part to be aligned is fixed and the position state of the reference part is constantly changed to align. Regarding the position of the part to be aligned, it should be noted that the alignment process involves horizontal and angular adjustments. Therefore, it is difficult to return the adjusted reference part to its original position after the evaporation is completed. In this way, the robot will spend a lot of time and operate through a large number of positioning structures when grasping it, which is costly and expensive. The process chamber in the automatic evaporation system of the present invention adjusts the alignment of the part to be aligned and the reference part based on the detached reference part, which not only ensures the alignment accuracy, but also resets the reference part to the first phase after the evaporation operation is completed, that is, the original position when the robot grasps it, which is very clever. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of an alignment device in Example 1 of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the phase separation unit in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the capture unit structure in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0053] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a vapor deposition chamber in the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0054] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the initial state structure of the evaporation chamber in the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0055] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the pre-alignment stage in the evaporation chamber in the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0056] Figure 7 This is a schematic structural diagram of the final alignment stage in the evaporation chamber in the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0057] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the evaporation stage in the evaporation chamber in the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0058] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of an evaporation method in Example 3 of the present invention;

[0059] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of an automatic evaporation system in Example 4 of the present invention.

[0060] a. Transmission chamber; b. Atmospheric chamber; c. Feed chamber; d. Robot; e. Process chamber;

[0061] 1. Chamber;

[0062] 2. Alignment device; 20. Plate frame; 21. Alignment component body; 210. Capture unit; 2101. Alignment camera; 2102. Reflection prism; 211. Identification unit; 212. Adjustment unit; 22. First lifting assembly; 220. First drive assembly; 221. Hanging bracket; 222. Phase separation unit; 2220. Pressing plate; 2221. Hanging plate; 2222. Guide shaft;

[0063] 23. Second lifting component; 230. Second driving group; 231. Alignment frame;

[0064] 3. Evaporation device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0066] Example 1

[0067] See Figure 1 This embodiment claims protection for a positioning device, including a plate frame 20, a positioning component body 21, a first lifting component 22 and a second lifting component 23. The positioning component body 21 is provided on the plate frame 20, and the first lifting component 22 and the second lifting component 23 are installed on the positioning component body 21;

[0068] The first lifting assembly 22 is configured to drive the reference member to move vertically to the second phase, causing the reference member to separate.

[0069] Furthermore, the first lifting assembly 22 includes a first drive assembly 220, a bracket 221, and a phase separation unit 222. The first drive assembly 220 is disposed on the alignment assembly body 21. The output end plate frame 20 of the first drive assembly 220 is connected to the bracket 221 at the lower output end of the first drive assembly 220. The first drive assembly 220 is configured to drive the bracket 221 to move in the vertical direction.

[0070] The hanger 221 is equipped with a phase separation unit 222, and the phase separation unit 222 is arranged with a reference part. The phase separation unit 222 is configured to move to form an interference fit with the bottom end of the plate rack 20, and the hanger 221 and the phase separation unit 222 produce a separation action, wherein, when the phase separation unit 222 is in interference fit with the bottom end of the plate rack 20, the phase of the reference part is the second phase.

[0071] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 Furthermore, the phase separation unit 222 includes a pressure plate 2220, a hanging plate 2221 and a guide shaft 2222. The pressure plate 2220 is located directly below the bracket 221. The hanging plates 2221 are symmetrically arranged on the upper surface of the pressure plate 2220 along the center line of the pressure plate 2220. The hanging plates 2221 are in an inverted L shape and are suspended on both sides of the bracket 221.

[0072] Furthermore, the hanger 221 has an inverted T-shaped cross-section configuration, and a positioning groove is provided on the upper surface of the cross bar of the hanger 221. The positioning groove is a conical groove. A positioning bolt is provided on the lower surface of the hanging plate 2221 at the corresponding position of the positioning groove. The positioning bolt is preferably a ball head positioning adjustment bolt that is compatible with the positioning groove.

[0073] It is worth noting that a positioning groove is provided on the hanger 221, and a corresponding positioning bolt is provided on the lower surface of the hanger plate 2221. This setting is achieved through the adaptive cooperation ability of the conical positioning groove and the positioning bolt. After alignment, when the phase separation unit 222 is re-mounted on the hanger 221, it is reset to the initial state, that is, the initial position of the reference part before alignment and the reset position after alignment are consistent, which is conducive to the placement of the reference part at the next workstation and the grasping of the reference part at the previous workstation.

[0074] The pressure plate 2220 located on the outside of the hanger 221 has guide holes symmetrically opened on its surface along the center line of the pressure plate 2220. The axis of the guide hole is vertical, and the guide hole and the guide shaft 2222 form a sliding fit. A first supporting boss is provided on the bottom side of the guide shaft 2222, and a reference part is placed on the first supporting boss, wherein the length of the reference part is smaller than the spacing at the bottom end of the plate frame 20, and the spacing at the bottom end of the plate frame 20 is smaller than the length of the pressure plate 2220.

[0075] It is worth noting here that through the sliding cooperation between the guide hole and the guide shaft 2222, three distribution states between the reference part and the part to be aligned can be achieved: State 1, the reference part and the part to be aligned are separated from each other; State 2, when the first lifting component 22 descends to the point where the reference part is in a disengaged state, the second lifting component 23 drives the part to be aligned to rise, so that the reference part and the part to be aligned can be fitted together; State 3, based on State 2, the first driving component 220 continues to descend, and the guide shaft 2222 slides in the guide hole, driving the pressure plate 2220 to move down to the bottom end, so that the reference part and the part to be aligned can be closely fitted together, and the first lifting component 22 is in the maximum driving stroke state.

[0076] Furthermore, the plate frame 20 has a Π-shaped cross-section configuration, and a third supporting boss is protruding from the bottom side of the plate frame 20. The interval between the third supporting bosses is the interval of the bottom end of the plate frame 20, and the third supporting boss is provided with an adjusting screw.

[0077] The operating principle of the first lifting component 22: the first driving assembly 220 drives the phase separation unit 222 to move downward, and moves to the pressure plate 2220 to cooperate with the bottom end of the plate frame 20. At the same time, the first lifting component 22 continues to descend, and the hanging plate 2221 is suspended on both sides of the hanging rack 221. Due to the support of the pressure plate 2220, the hanging rack 221 and the phase separation unit 222 are separated. At this time, the phase separation unit 222 and the reference part are placed on the plate frame 20 and are in a stationary state, while the part to be aligned, the second lifting component 23, the first driving assembly 220 and the hanging rack 221 are all located on the alignment component body 21. Therefore, although the alignment device 2 is an integral component, the alignment component body 21 drives the part to be aligned to perform the alignment action based on the reference part.

[0078] See again Figure 1The second lifting component 23 is configured to drive the to-be-aligned member to move closer to or away from the reference member in the vertical direction;

[0079] Furthermore, the second lifting component 23 includes a second drive component 230 and an alignment frame 231. The second drive component 230 is arranged above the alignment component body 21. The second drive component 230 is generally a lifting motor. The output end of the second drive component 230 passes through the plate frame 20 and the alignment component body 21. The output end of the second drive component 230 is connected to the alignment frame 231. The alignment frame 231 has a Π-shaped cross-section configuration. A second supporting boss is arranged on the bottom side of the alignment frame 231, and the part to be aligned is arranged on the second supporting boss, wherein the interval between the second supporting bosses is less than the length of the part to be aligned, and the length of the part to be aligned is less than the interval at the bottom end of the plate frame 20.

[0080] The operating principle of the second drive assembly 230 is as follows: by providing an alignment frame 231, the alignment frame 231 has two functions: one is to place the part to be aligned; the other is to accommodate part of the alignment component body 21. By setting the spacing between the second support bosses to be smaller than the length of the part to be aligned, and the length of the part to be aligned to be smaller than the spacing at the bottom end of the plate frame 20, the part to be aligned can be driven by the part to be aligned through the bottom end of the plate frame 20 to align with the reference part, and even push the reference part upward. Obviously, when the part to be aligned and the reference part are aligned, the positional error between them can be better judged, facilitating the precise alignment of the alignment component body 21.

[0081] The alignment component body 21 is configured to drive the member to be aligned to perform an alignment action based on a position error between the member to be aligned and the reference member when the reference member is in a disengaged state.

[0082] Furthermore, the alignment component body 21 includes a capture unit 210, an identification unit 211, and an adjustment unit 212. The identification units 211 are provided at corresponding positions on the reference piece and the piece to be aligned. The identification units 211 include at least two corresponding circular positioning notches and at least two marking points, wherein the circular positioning notches are located on the piece to be aligned, and the marking points are located on the reference piece. The capture point of the capture unit 210 coincides with the reference piece identification unit 211, wherein the capture unit 210 is configured to capture the position error between the identification units 211.

[0083] See Figure 3 Furthermore, the capture unit 210 includes a positioning camera 2101 and at least two reflecting prisms 2102. The positioning camera 2101 is installed on the plate frame 20, and at least two reflecting prisms 2102 are set on the positioning frame 231. One end of the light path formed by the at least two reflecting prisms 2102 is aligned with the lens of the positioning camera 2101, and the other end of the light path is aligned with the reference part recognition unit 211. The exit point of the light path forms the capture point of the capture unit 210.

[0084] It is worth noting that since the reflecting prism 2102 is mounted on the alignment frame 231 , the optical path to be formed is not affected by the bracket 221 . Preferably, both sides and the bottom of the alignment frame 231 are located outside the plate frame 20 .

[0085] See again Figure 1 An adjustment unit 212 is installed on the plate frame 20. The adjustment unit 212 is configured to drive the second lifting component 23 to generate position and angle alignment positioning based on the position error. The adjustment unit 212 is preferably an XYθ alignment platform, which can achieve horizontal movement and adjust the angle of rotation; a second drive component 230 is installed on the XYθ alignment platform table, and the first drive component 220 is installed on the second drive component 230. The second drive component 230 and the first drive component 220 are both lifting motors.

[0086] The operating principle of the alignment component body 21: Generally speaking, the identification unit 211 sets marks on the corresponding positions of the part to be aligned and the reference part. The alignment camera 2101 forms a light path to the mark through the reflecting prism 2102, so that the position error can be well judged. Through the position error, the second drive component 230 is started to adjust the alignment of the part to be aligned. It is not only highly accurate and convenient for personnel to observe, but also has a high degree of automation, saving labor costs.

[0087] This embodiment claims protection for a positioning device, which disengages the reference part from the first lifting component 22 by setting the first lifting component 22 to move to the second phase, so that the positioning component body 21 can drive the part to be aligned with reference to the reference part for alignment; the advantages of this design are, firstly, when the positioning component body 21 is aligned, the reference part is ensured to be in a stationary state, so the error is small and the accuracy is high during alignment; secondly, although the reference part will be disengaged during the movement of the first lifting component 22, in fact, the positioning device 2 itself is still a whole, which ensures the integrity of the device.

[0088] Example 2

[0089] See Figure 1 and Figure 4 This embodiment claims protection for a vapor deposition chamber, using an alignment device in the first embodiment, including:

[0090] Chamber 1;

[0091] The alignment device 2 is horizontally mounted in the chamber 1. The chamber 1 is divided into a first area and a second area by a plate frame 20. The first area is located at the bottom and is configured to be in a vacuum state. The reference member and the member to be aligned are located in the first area. The reference member is a substrate, and the member to be aligned is a mask.

[0092] It is worth noting here that the adjustment unit 212, the second drive assembly 230 and the first drive assembly 220 are all installed in the second area, which is the atmosphere side, and the second drive assembly 230 and the plate rack 20 are both vacuum-sealed by bellows.

[0093] The evaporation device 3 is arranged on the side of the workpiece to be aligned away from the reference workpiece, and the evaporation range of the evaporation device 3 is staggered with the alignment device 2.

[0094] This embodiment claims protection for an evaporation chamber operation process as follows:

[0095] See Figure 5 In the initial state, the first area is configured as a vacuum state, the alignment device 2 is in a zero state, and the reference part is in a first phase, wherein the first phase is when the alignment device 2 is in a zero state, above the first support boss.

[0096] See 1 and Figure 6 , the pre-alignment stage includes the capture stage and the adjustment stage; start the first drive assembly 220, drive the phase separation unit 222 to move downward, move to the pressure plate 2220 and cooperate with the bottom end of the plate frame 20, at the same time, the first lifting assembly 22 continues to descend, and the hanging plate 2221 is suspended on both sides of the hanging rack 221. Due to the support of the pressure plate 2220, the hanging rack 221 and the phase separation unit 222 are disengaged, that is, the positioning bolt is disengaged from the conical groove. At this time, the reference part is located on the plate frame 20 and is in a stationary state, while the part to be aligned, the second lifting part 23, the first drive assembly 220 and the hanging rack 221 are all located on the alignment part body 21.

[0097] Capture phase: The alignment camera 2101 uses the optical path formed by at least two reflecting prisms 2102 to capture the marking points on the reference part in real time through the circular positioning notch on the part to be aligned, and confirm the position error between them.

[0098] Entering the adjustment stage: according to the position error, the adjustment unit 212, that is, the XYθ alignment platform, is started. At this time, the XYθ alignment platform can drive the adjustment of the alignment device part except the plate frame 20, the phase separation unit 222 and the reference part.

[0099] See Figure 1 and Figure 7, the final alignment stage, including the capture stage, the second lifting component 23 upward adjustment stage and the pre-alignment stage, start the second lifting component 23, drive the workpiece to be aligned to move upward until it is in contact with the reference component, continue to rise until the phase separation unit 222 is lifted up, until the reference component is separated from the plate rack 20, at this time, the reference component is under the action of gravity, completely attached to the surface of the workpiece to be aligned, and enters the capture stage, no more details, when the position error is less than the predetermined threshold, generally 5μm in actual production, enter the evaporation stage; when the position error is greater than the predetermined threshold, drive the second lifting component 23 to descend to the reference component and place it on the plate rack 20, enter the adjustment stage, until the position error is less than the predetermined threshold, no more details, enter the second lifting component 23 upward adjustment stage, and then start the first drive assembly 220 to descend, until the pressure plate 2220 slides down along the guide shaft 2222, and the substrate is tightly attached to the mask.

[0100] See Figure 1 and Figure 8 , evaporation stage, start the evaporation device 3.

[0101] See again Figure 5 In the reset stage, the reference part is reset to the first phase, driving the first drive assembly 220 to rise until the hanging plate 2221 is re-mounted on the hanger 221. Due to the adaptive cooperation ability of the conical positioning groove and the positioning bolt, the hanging plate 2221 drives the reference part to adaptively return to the initial position. When the positioning device 2 is in the zero state, the reference part is reset to the first phase.

[0102] This embodiment requires protection of a vapor deposition chamber, which is divided into a first area and a second area by a plate frame 20, ensuring that the first area is configured in a vacuum state. The vapor deposition chamber is aligned by setting an alignment device 2. Since the vapor deposition operation needs to be evaporated from the bottom to the top in a vacuum environment, in order to ensure that the vapor deposition material does not contaminate the alignment device, the alignment device also adopts a top-down design. The alignment of the substrate and the mask is achieved through the alignment device 2, and the vapor deposition operation is performed through the vapor deposition device 3.

[0103] This embodiment claims protection for a specific implementation process of a vapor deposition chamber as follows: a plate frame 20 divides the chamber 1 into a vacuum area and an atmospheric area. An alignment camera 2101, an XYθ alignment platform, a first drive assembly 220, and a second drive assembly 230 are fixed to the atmospheric area. The second drive assembly 230 is mounted on the XYθ alignment platform. The alignment component body 21 is fixed to the second drive assembly 230. The optical path formed by the XYθ platform reflective prism 2102 is also fixed to the alignment component body 21. The second lifting component 23 and the plate frame 20 are vacuum-sealed using a bellows. The first drive assembly 220 is mounted on the second lifting component 23. A hanger 221 is connected to the first drive assembly 220 and can be driven by the first drive assembly 220 to achieve lifting and lowering movements. A phase separation unit 222 is suspended from the bottom of the hanger 221 by a ball-end positioning adjustment bolt. The bottom of the hanger 221 is machined with a conical positioning groove that matches the ball-end positioning adjustment bolt of the phase separation unit 222. The substrate is mounted on the bottom of the phase separation unit 222.

[0104] After the substrate is placed in the phase separation unit 222, the bracket 221 descends to fix the phase separation unit 222 on the substrate support plate, and then the mark position is confirmed by the alignment camera 2101. After confirmation, the mask is moved by the XYθ platform for precise alignment. After alignment, the mask rises to fit the substrate, and then the bracket 221 pressurizes the substrate to ensure that the substrate and the mask fit tightly. After the evaporation is completed, the phase separation unit 222 is raised to return the substrate to the feeding position and then transferred to other chambers 1 to complete the evaporation process of chamber 1.

[0105] Example 3

[0106] See Figure 9 This embodiment claims protection for a vapor deposition method, using a vapor deposition chamber according to the second embodiment, comprising:

[0107] In S1 , the first region is placed in a vacuum state.

[0108] In S2 , the reference part is grasped and placed in the first phase, wherein when the alignment device 2 is in the zero state, the phase of the reference part is the first phase.

[0109] In S3 , the alignment device 2 is started, and based on the reference part, the position error between the part to be aligned and the reference part is aligned to be smaller than a predetermined threshold, wherein the predetermined threshold is preset.

[0110] Furthermore, the first lifting component 22 is activated to drive the reference component to move vertically to the second phase, and the reference component is disengaged. The alignment component body 21 is activated. When the reference component is in the disengaged state, the alignment component is driven to perform an alignment action based on the position error between the reference component and the reference component until the position error is less than a predetermined threshold.

[0111] The second lifting component 23 is started to drive the part to be aligned to move to the third phase, wherein the third phase is the phase of the part to be aligned when the part to be aligned is in contact with the reference part and the first lifting component 22 is in the maximum driving stroke state.

[0112] Further, the capture unit 210 is started to detect whether the position error between the capture and identification units 211 is less than a predetermined threshold value. If so, the evaporation device 3 is started; if not, the adjustment unit 212 is started, and when the reference part is in a detached state, the part to be aligned is driven to perform an alignment action based on the reference part until the position error is less than a predetermined threshold value; the second lifting component 23 is started to drive the part to be aligned to move to a third phase, wherein the third phase is the phase of the part to be aligned when the part to be aligned is in contact with the reference part and the first lifting component 22 is in a maximum driving stroke state.

[0113] In S4 , the vapor deposition device 3 is started to perform the vapor deposition operation.

[0114] In S5, the zero alignment device 2 is reset and the reference piece is reset to the first phase

[0115] This embodiment claims protection for a vapor deposition method, which uses a vapor deposition chamber to achieve the following two advantages: Advantage 1. Alignment is always performed with the part to be aligned, so the initial position of the reference part before vapor deposition and the reset position after vapor deposition remain consistent, which is convenient for ensuring the uniformity of the position of the previous workstation and the next workstation. Advantage 2. During the alignment process, the capture unit 210 can capture the position error between the identification units 211 at any time. When the position error is less than the predetermined threshold, the first lifting component 22 can be started to drive the reference part to move in the vertical direction to the second phase, and the reference part will produce a disengagement action; when the reference part is disengaged, alignment is performed. In this way, not only can the position of the reference part be kept the same during the alignment process, but the alignment accuracy is higher; moreover, it is obvious that when the alignment device 2 is running, the capture unit 210 is in a real-time monitoring state, then when the reference part and the part to be aligned are in any state, such as, each other In this staggered or mutually aligned state, real-time capture can be performed. Moreover, when aligned, it is obvious that the monitoring accuracy is higher. However, direct single adjustment in precise adjustment will also destroy the alignment effect. Therefore, the alignment here can be in the state where the reference part and the part to be aligned are staggered, and the capture unit 210 captures in real time, and then drives the adjustment unit 212 to make preliminary multiple adjustments based on the capture results; when the reference part and the part to be aligned are aligned with each other, the capture unit 210 captures in real time. At this time, it is obvious that the capture accuracy of the capture unit 210 is higher. Based on the capture results, the adjustment unit 212 is driven for final adjustment. The specific operation of the adjustment unit 212 is: to ensure that the reference part is in the second phase and the reference part produces a disengagement action; when the reference part is disengaged, the alignment component body 21 is started to perform the alignment action on the part to be aligned.

[0116] Example 4

[0117] See Figure 10 This embodiment claims protection for an automatic evaporation system, which is applied to an evaporation chamber in Example 2, including an atmospheric chamber b, a transmission chamber a, a feed chamber c, a robot d and at least one process chamber e. At least one process chamber e and a feed chamber c are arranged in a circular array outside the transmission chamber a. The transmission chamber a is connected with the feed chamber c and the process chamber e respectively, and the opening and closing of the connecting parts are independent of each other.

[0118] Furthermore, a first vacuum isolation valve is provided at the connection between the feed chamber c and the transmission chamber a, and a corresponding second vacuum isolation valve is provided at the connection between the transmission chamber a and the process chamber e.

[0119] A robot d is arranged in the transfer chamber a, and the process chamber e is an evaporation chamber; wherein, the feed chamber c is configured to be in a vacuum state, and the robot d is configured to grab the substrate from the first phase of the process chamber e or place the substrate at the first phase of the process chamber e; wherein, when the positioning device returns to zero, the phase of the substrate is the first phase.

[0120] This embodiment requires protection of an automatic evaporation system, which sets a feed chamber c to store the reference part transported in the atmospheric chamber b, and then the robot d grabs the reference part and places it at the first phase of the process chamber e. The process chamber e is configured to adjust the alignment of the part to be aligned and the reference part based on the reference part, perform the evaporation operation and reset the reference part to the first phase. The reference part is grabbed by the robot d and enters the feed chamber c, and then flows from the process chamber e. The entire process is carried out in a vacuum environment with a high degree of automation. Since the evaporation operation requires evaporation from bottom to top in a vacuum environment, in order to ensure that the evaporation material does not contaminate the alignment device, the alignment device also adopts a top-down design. It should be noted that in the traditional mode, the position of the reference part is continuously changed by fixing the part to be aligned. The position of the part to be aligned is aligned in the state. It should be noted that the alignment process involves adjustments in the horizontal direction and angle. Therefore, it is difficult to call back the adjusted reference part to its original position after the evaporation is completed. In this way, the robot d will spend a lot of time and operate through a large number of positioning structures when grabbing, which is costly and expensive. The process chamber e in the automatic evaporation system of the present invention adjusts the alignment of the part to be aligned and the reference part based on the detached state of the reference part, which not only ensures the alignment accuracy, but also resets the reference part to the first phase after the evaporation operation is completed, that is, the original position when the robot d grabs it. This is very clever, and while ensuring the repeatability of the substrate in the transmission between the chambers 1, it also ensures the accuracy of the substrate in the material picking position before and after evaporation.

[0121] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit the same. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A positioning device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a plate frame (20), a positioning component body (21), a first lifting component (22) and a second lifting component (23); the positioning component body (21) is arranged on the plate frame (20); and the first lifting component (22) and the second lifting component (23) are arranged on the positioning component body (21); The first lifting component (22) is configured to drive the reference component to move vertically to a second phase, and the reference component generates a separation action; The second lifting component (23) is configured to drive the part to be aligned to move toward or away from the reference part in the vertical direction; The alignment component body (21) is configured to drive the part to be aligned to perform an alignment action based on a position error between the part to be aligned and the reference part when the reference part is in a disengaged state.

2. The alignment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first lifting component (22) includes a first driving component (220), a hanging bracket (221) and a phase separation unit (222). The alignment component body (21) is provided with the first driving component (220). The output end plate frame (20) of the first driving component (220) is connected to the hanging bracket (221). The output end below the first driving component (220) is connected to the hanging bracket (221). The first driving component (220) is configured to drive the hanging bracket (221) to move in the vertical direction. The hanger (221) is equipped with a phase separation unit (222), and the phase separation unit (222) is provided with a reference piece. The phase separation unit (222) is configured to move to form a conflicting fit with the bottom end of the plate rack (20), and the hanger (221) and the phase separation unit (222) produce a separation action, wherein, when the phase separation unit (222) is in conflict with the bottom end of the plate rack (20), the phase of the reference piece is the second phase.

3. The alignment device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The phase separation unit (222) comprises a pressing plate (2220), a hanging plate (2221) and a guide shaft (2222); the pressing plate (2220) is located directly below the hanging rack (221); the hanging plates (2221) are symmetrically arranged on the upper surface of the pressing plate (2220) along the center line of the pressing plate (2220); the hanging plates (2221) are in an inverted L shape, and are hung on both sides of the hanging rack (221); A guide hole is symmetrically provided on the surface of the pressure plate (2220) located outside the hanger (221) along the center line of the pressure plate (2220), the axis of the guide hole is vertical, and the guide hole and the guide shaft (2222) form a sliding fit, and a first supporting boss is provided on the bottom side of the guide shaft (2222), and a reference member is placed on the first supporting boss, wherein the length of the reference member is less than the interval at the bottom end of the plate frame (20), and the interval at the bottom end of the plate frame (20) is less than the length of the pressure plate (2220).

4. The alignment device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The hanger (221) has an inverted T-shaped cross-section. A positioning groove is provided on the upper surface of the crossbar of the hanger (221). The positioning groove is a tapered groove. A positioning bolt is provided on the lower surface of the hanger plate (2221) at a corresponding position of the positioning groove.

5. The alignment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second lifting component (23) comprises a second driving assembly (230) and an alignment frame (231); the second driving assembly (230) is arranged above the alignment component body (21); the output end of the second driving assembly (230) passes through the plate frame (20) and the alignment component body (21); the output end of the second driving assembly (230) is connected to the alignment frame (231); the alignment frame (231) has a Π-shaped cross-section configuration; a second supporting boss is arranged on the bottom side of the alignment frame (231); and a piece to be aligned is arranged on the second supporting boss, wherein the interval between the second supporting bosses is smaller than the length of the piece to be aligned, and the length of the piece to be aligned is smaller than the interval at the bottom end of the plate frame (20).

6. The alignment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The alignment component body (21) comprises a capture unit (210), an identification unit (211) and an adjustment unit (212); the identification unit (211) is provided at corresponding positions of the reference piece and the piece to be aligned; the capture point of the capture unit (210) coincides with the reference piece identification unit (211); wherein the capture unit (210) is configured to capture a position error between the identification units (211); An adjustment unit (212) is installed on the plate frame (20), and the adjustment unit (212) is configured to drive the second lifting component (23) to generate a position and angle alignment positioning action based on the position error.

7. The alignment device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The capture unit (210) comprises an alignment camera (2101) and at least two reflection prisms (2102); the plate frame (20) is provided with the alignment camera (2101); the alignment frame (231) is provided with at least two reflection prisms (2102); one end of the optical path formed by the at least two reflection prisms (2102) is aligned with the lens of the alignment camera (2101), and the other end of the optical path is aligned with the reference part recognition unit (211); the optical path exit point forms a capture point of the capture unit (210).

8. The alignment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plate frame (20) has a Π-shaped cross-section configuration, and a third supporting boss is convexly provided on the bottom side of the plate frame (20). The interval between the third supporting bosses is the interval of the bottom end of the plate frame (20), and the third supporting bosses are provided with adjusting screws.

9. A vapor deposition chamber, using a positioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: include: chamber (1); The alignment device (2) is horizontally arranged in the chamber (1), and the chamber (1) is divided into a first area and a second area by a plate frame (20), wherein the first area is located at the bottom and is configured to be in a vacuum state, and the reference part and the part to be aligned are located in the first area; The evaporation device (3) is arranged on the side of the part to be aligned that is away from the reference part, and the evaporation range of the evaporation device (3) is staggered with the alignment device (2).

10. A vapor deposition method, using the vapor deposition chamber according to claim 9, comprising: configuring the first region to be in a vacuum state; The grasping reference part is placed in a first phase, wherein when the alignment device (2) is in a zeroing state, the phase of the reference part is the first phase; Starting the alignment device (2), based on the reference part, aligning the position error between the part to be aligned and the reference part to be aligned is less than a predetermined threshold, wherein the predetermined threshold is pre-set; Starting the evaporation device (3) to perform the evaporation operation; The zero return alignment device (2) resets the reference part to the first phase.

11. The evaporation method according to claim 10, characterized in that: The alignment device (2) performs the alignment action including: Starting the first lifting component (22) to drive the reference component to move vertically to the second phase, so that the reference component generates a separation action; Starting the alignment component body (21), and when the reference component is in a disengaged state, driving the to-be-aligned component to perform an alignment action based on a position error between the to-be-aligned component and the reference component until the position error is less than a predetermined threshold; The second lifting component (23) is started to drive the part to be aligned to move to a third phase, wherein the third phase is the phase of the part to be aligned when the part to be aligned is in contact with the reference part and the first lifting component (22) is in a maximum driving stroke state.

12. The evaporation method according to claim 11, characterized in that: The alignment action performed by the alignment component body (21) specifically includes: The capturing unit (210) is started to detect whether the position error between the capturing and identifying units (211) is less than a predetermined threshold value. If so, the evaporation device (3) is started. If not, the adjustment unit (212) is started. When the reference part is in a disengaged state, the part to be aligned is driven to perform an alignment action based on the reference part until the position error is less than the predetermined threshold value.

13. An automatic evaporation system, applied to the evaporation chamber according to claim 9, characterized in that: The invention comprises an atmospheric chamber (b), a transmission chamber (a), a feed chamber (c), a manipulator (d), and at least one process chamber (e). At least one process chamber (e) and a feed chamber (c) are arranged in a circular array outside the transmission chamber (a). The transmission chamber (a) is connected to the feed chamber (c) and the process chamber (e), and the opening and closing of the connected parts are independent of each other. The manipulator (d) is arranged in the transmission chamber (a), and the process chamber (e) is a vapor deposition chamber. The feed chamber (c) is configured to be in a vacuum state, and the robot (d) is configured to grab the substrate from the first phase of the process chamber (e) or place the substrate at the first phase of the process chamber (e); when the alignment device returns to zero, the phase of the substrate is the first phase.

14. The automatic evaporation system according to claim 13, characterized in that: A first vacuum isolation valve is provided at the communicating portion between the feed chamber (c) and the transmission chamber (a), and a corresponding second vacuum isolation valve is provided at the communicating portion between the transmission chamber (a) and the process chamber (e).

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