Evaporation apparatus and evaporation method

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an evaporation equipment and an evaporation method, comprising a crucible, a substrate fixing part, a heating device, a detection device, a moving device and a controller, a containing cavity is formed in the crucible, the containing cavity is filled with evaporation material, the substrate fixing part is arranged above the crucible, the heating device is used for heating the evaporation material to evaporate gas, the evaporate gas is attached to the substrate, the detection device is used for judging the distance L between the upper surface of the evaporation material and the substrate fixing part, the moving device is used for driving the crucible or the substrate fixing part to move, the controller is electrically connected with the detection device and the moving device at the same time, and the controller issues a control instruction to the moving device according to the detection signal of the detection device. The present application can control the distance between the evaporation surface and the substrate fixing part to be equal, so that the distance between the upper surface of the evaporation material and the substrate remains unchanged, and the film forming consistency of the evaporation material on the substrate is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of vapor deposition equipment technology, and more particularly to a vapor deposition device and a vapor deposition method. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of modern materials processing and thin film preparation, vapor deposition technology, as a key process, is widely used in many high-tech industries such as display panels to achieve high-precision, high-quality thin film deposition. The core of the vapor deposition process lies in transforming the vapor deposition material from a solid to a gaseous state and uniformly depositing it onto a substrate to form a thin film. In traditional vapor deposition processes, researchers have long discovered that differences in the distance between the vapor deposition surface and the substrate significantly affect the characteristics of the final deposited film. In areas with closer distances, the vapor deposition material molecules travel shorter distances to the substrate, resulting in a relatively faster deposition rate; conversely, in areas with greater distances, molecular diffusion takes longer, slowing down the deposition rate. This easily leads to uneven film thickness on the substrate, severely affecting product performance consistency. Furthermore, during the vapor deposition process, as the amount of vapor deposition material in the crucible decreases, the vapor deposition surface may drop, causing dynamic changes in the distance between the vapor deposition surface and the substrate, further exacerbating the problem of uneven film thickness and impacting product quality.

[0003] In the prior art, the crucible and the substrate used to contain the vapor deposition material are relatively fixed, that is, the distance between the two is constant. However, as the vapor deposition process proceeds, the amount of vapor deposition material in the crucible decreases and the vapor deposition surface decreases, which leads to dynamic changes in the distance between the vapor deposition surface and the substrate, making it difficult to maintain uniform deposition and ultimately affecting the film quality. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a vapor deposition apparatus and a vapor deposition method. During vapor deposition, the apparatus maintains a constant or substantially constant distance between the upper surface of the vapor deposition material in the crucible and the substrate fixing portion, ensuring consistent film formation of the vapor deposition material on the substrate.

[0005] For the purposes described above, the present disclosure adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A vapor deposition apparatus, comprising:

[0007] A crucible having a cavity inside, the cavity being filled with a vapor deposition material;

[0008] A substrate fixing part is disposed above the crucible and is used to fix the substrate;

[0009] A heating device, comprising a heating wire disposed on the outside of the crucible, wherein the heating device is used to heat the vapor-deposited material to an evaporating gas, the evaporating gas adhering to the substrate;

[0010] The detection device is used to determine the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material and the substrate fixing part;

[0011] The controller is electrically connected to both the detection device and the moving device.

[0012] The controller sends a control command to the mobile device based on the detection signal from the detection device. The mobile device responds to the command and acts so that the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material and the substrate fixing part remains unchanged.

[0013] Furthermore, it also includes a housing, in which the crucible, the substrate fixing part, and / or the moving device are all disposed.

[0014] Furthermore, the moving device includes a telescopic rod;

[0015] Preferably, the telescopic rod includes an electrically operated telescopic rod.

[0016] Furthermore, one end of the electric telescopic rod is fixedly connected to the bottom wall of the housing, and the other end is fixedly connected to the crucible.

[0017] Furthermore, one end of the electric telescopic rod is fixedly connected to the top wall of the housing, and the other end is fixedly connected to the base plate fixing part.

[0018] Furthermore, the detection device includes multiple photoelectric sensors, which are distributed vertically on the outside of the crucible, and the photoelectric sensors are electrically connected to the controller.

[0019] Furthermore, the detection device is a gravity sensor, which is located at the bottom of the crucible and is electrically connected to the controller.

[0020] Furthermore, the detection device is a timing module, which is electrically connected to the controller.

[0021] A vapor deposition method using a vapor deposition apparatus includes the following steps:

[0022] Obtain the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material in the crucible and the substrate fixing part;

[0023] Based on the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material and the substrate fixing part, the controller controls the moving device to move the crucible toward the substrate fixing part, or controls the moving device to move the substrate fixing part toward the crucible.

[0024] Furthermore, obtaining the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material in the crucible and the substrate fixing part specifically includes:

[0025] The distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material in the crucible and the substrate fixing part is obtained in real time by photoelectric sensor, gravity sensor or timing module.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, this disclosure has the following technical effects:

[0027] The detection device detects the change in distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material and the substrate fixing part. The controller controls the moving device to move the crucible toward the substrate fixing part and / or drive the substrate fixing part toward the crucible to compensate for the distance change, so as to keep the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material and the substrate fixing part constant. This ensures that the distance between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material and the substrate remains constant, thus ensuring uniform film thickness and improving product quality. Attached Figure Description

[0028] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this disclosure or related technologies, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or related technologies will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a vapor deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a vapor deposition apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a circuit control block diagram of the vapor deposition equipment;

[0032] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the vapor deposition process.

[0033] The components are: 1. Crucible; 10. Cavity; 2. Substrate fixing part; 3. Detection device; 4. Moving device; 5. Controller; 6. Housing. Detailed Implementation

[0034] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this disclosure clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

[0035] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in the embodiments of this disclosure should have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. The terms "first," "second," and similar terms used in the embodiments of this disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Terms such as "comprising" or "including" mean that the element or object preceding the word encompasses the elements or objects listed following the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Terms such as "connected" or "linked" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. Terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are used only to indicate relative positional relationships; when the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0036] In the field of modern materials processing and thin film preparation, vapor deposition technology, as a key process, is widely used in many high-tech industries such as display panels to achieve high-precision, high-quality thin film deposition. The core of the vapor deposition process lies in transforming the vapor deposition material from a solid to a gaseous state and uniformly depositing it onto a substrate to form a thin film. In traditional vapor deposition processes, researchers have long discovered that differences in the distance between the vapor deposition surface and the substrate fixing point significantly affect the characteristics of the final deposited thin film. In areas with closer distances, the vapor deposition material molecules travel shorter distances to the substrate, resulting in a relatively faster deposition rate; while in areas with greater distances, molecular diffusion time increases, slowing down the deposition rate. This easily leads to uneven film thickness on the substrate, severely affecting product performance consistency. Furthermore, during the vapor deposition process, as the amount of vapor deposition material in the crucible decreases, the vapor deposition surface may drop, causing dynamic changes in the distance between the vapor deposition surface and the substrate fixing point, further exacerbating the problem of uneven film thickness and affecting product quality.

[0037] The inventors of the application discovered the following problems in the relevant technology during long-term practical work: In the prior art, the crucible used to contain the vapor deposition material and the substrate fixing part are relatively fixed, that is, the distance between the two is fixed. However, as the vapor deposition process proceeds, the vapor deposition material in the crucible decreases and the vapor deposition surface drops, which causes the distance between the vapor deposition surface and the substrate fixing part to change dynamically, making it difficult to maintain uniform deposition and ultimately affecting the film quality.

[0038] For the reasons mentioned above, an embodiment of the present invention discloses a vapor deposition apparatus.

[0039] like Figure 1-3As shown, the vapor deposition equipment includes a crucible 1, a substrate fixing part 2, a heating device, a detection device 3, a moving device 4, and a controller 5. The crucible 1 has a receiving cavity 10, which is filled with vapor deposition material. The substrate fixing part 2 is disposed above the crucible 1 to fix the substrate. The heating device is used to heat the vapor deposition material to evaporate gas, which adheres to the substrate. The detection device 3 is used to determine the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor deposition material and the substrate fixing part 2. The controller 5 is electrically connected to the detection device 3 and the moving device 4. The controller 5 sends a control command to the moving device 4 according to the detection signal of the detection device 3. The moving device 4 responds to the command and acts so that the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor deposition material and the substrate fixing part 2 remains unchanged.

[0040] During operation, the moving device 4 drives the crucible 1 towards the substrate fixing part 2 or drives the substrate fixing part 2 towards the crucible 1 according to the control commands of the controller 5, so that the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor deposition material and the substrate fixing part 2 remains constant. The controller 5 controls the moving device in real time to precisely control the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor deposition material and the substrate fixing part 2, optimizing the deposition effect and suitable for high-precision thin film preparation requirements. This design effectively solves the problem of the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor deposition material and the substrate fixing part 2 changing due to material reduction during the vapor deposition process, ensuring uniform film thickness and improving product quality.

[0041] The crucible 1 has a heat insulation layer at the bottom to prevent excessive heat conduction and ensure uniform heating of the vapor deposition material. A pressure sensor is installed at the top to monitor the vapor pressure in real time, feeding back to the controller 5 to further adjust the heating power, maintain a stable vapor deposition environment, and ensure the quality of the thin film deposition. Furthermore, the crucible 1 has a carefully designed internal cavity 10 with a specific shape and size. This cavity 10 is specifically designed for filling the vapor deposition material, and its design fully considers the characteristics of the material and the requirements of the vapor deposition process. In practical applications, the shape of the cavity 10 can be customized according to specific needs, such as cylindrical or square, to accommodate different types of vapor deposition materials and equipment. Simultaneously, the inner wall of the cavity 10 undergoes special treatment, exhibiting excellent high-temperature resistance and corrosion resistance, effectively preventing chemical reactions between the vapor deposition material and the crucible 1, thereby ensuring the purity of the material and the quality of the vapor deposition.

[0042] In this embodiment, the vapor deposition equipment also includes a housing 6, within which the crucible 1, substrate fixing part 2, and moving device 4 are all disposed. Specifically, the housing 6 employs a highly sealed design to effectively isolate external environmental interference and ensure the stability of the vapor deposition process. The crucible 1 is located at the center of the bottom of the housing 6, while the substrate fixing part 2 is fixed to the top of the housing 6. A temperature sensor is installed inside the housing 6 to monitor the internal temperature in real time, transmitting the data to the controller 5 for precise adjustment of the heating device. This ensures that the vapor deposition material evaporates stably within the optimal temperature range, further improving the film quality and uniformity. The housing 6 is also equipped with a vacuum pump to maintain a high vacuum environment inside, reducing interference from gaseous impurities and ensuring a pure and efficient evaporation process.

[0043] The moving device 4 is used to drive the movement of the crucible 1 or the substrate fixing part 2. Preferably, the moving device 4 is an electric telescopic rod. The controller 5 precisely adjusts the distance between the crucible and the substrate fixing part by controlling the extension length of the electric telescopic rod, thereby keeping the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material and the substrate fixing part 2 constant, ensuring uniform film thickness and improving product quality. The electric telescopic rod is a pre-fabricated structure, and its internal components use high-precision sensors and servo motors to ensure accurate telescopic movements. In addition, the outer shell of the electric telescopic rod is made of high-strength material, which is heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant, ensuring long-term stable operation.

[0044] In one embodiment of the present invention, a telescopic rod (such as an electric telescopic rod) controls the crucible 1 to move up and down. Specifically, refer to... Figure 1 One end of the electric telescopic rod is fixedly connected to the bottom wall of the housing 6, and the other end is fixedly connected to the crucible 1. As the vapor deposition process proceeds, the vapor deposition material in the crucible 1 gradually decreases, meaning that the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor deposition material and the substrate fixing part 2 gradually increases. At the same time, the controller 5 controls the extension of the electric telescopic rod in real time according to the data fed back by the detection device 3, so that the crucible 1 moves towards the substrate fixing part 2, compensating for the distance change and ensuring that the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor deposition material and the substrate fixing part 2 remains constant, thereby maintaining a consistent film deposition rate and ensuring the uniformity of the final film thickness and overall quality. Through this intelligent adjustment mechanism, the equipment can ensure uniform film thickness during long-term operation and improve product quality. In this embodiment, the electric telescopic rod is specifically fixed to the bottom or top wall of the housing 6 by screws. The screw material is high-temperature resistant and corrosion-resistant, ensuring a stable and reliable connection.

[0045] In another embodiment of the present invention, the electric telescopic rod control base plate fixing part 2 performs lifting and lowering movements, specifically, see... Figure 2One end of the electric telescopic rod is fixedly connected to the top wall of the housing 6, and the other end is fixedly connected to the substrate fixing part 2. As the vapor deposition process proceeds, the vapor deposition material in the crucible 1 gradually decreases, meaning that the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor deposition material and the substrate fixing part 2 gradually increases. At the same time, the controller 5, based on the data fed back by the detection device 3, controls the electric telescopic rod to extend in real time, causing the substrate fixing part 2 to move towards the crucible 1, compensating for the distance change, and ensuring that the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor deposition material and the substrate fixing part 2 remains constant. This maintains a consistent film deposition rate, ensuring the uniformity of the final film thickness and overall quality. Through this intelligent adjustment mechanism, the equipment can ensure uniform film thickness during long-term operation, improving product quality.

[0046] In addition, a guide bracket can be installed inside the housing 6. This guide bracket stabilizes the movement trajectory of the electric telescopic rod, preventing it from shifting under high temperatures and ensuring adjustment accuracy. The bracket is made of a high-temperature resistant, high-strength alloy with an anti-corrosion coating to enhance durability. These multiple safeguards further improve equipment stability and film quality. The guide bracket is designed as a detachable structure for easy maintenance and replacement. Specifically, the guide bracket has several movable slide rails, and the crucible 1 is fixed with sliders that match the slide rails. This ensures that the crucible 1 moves smoothly along a predetermined trajectory during lifting, reducing friction and vibration, and further improving adjustment accuracy and film uniformity. The slide rail surface of the guide bracket undergoes special treatment to increase wear resistance and smoothness, extending its service life. Similarly, if a lifting scheme for the substrate fixing part 2 is adopted, a corresponding slider is also fixed to the side of the base plate of the substrate fixing part 2, matching the guide bracket slide rails. This ensures that the substrate fixing part 2 moves smoothly along a predetermined trajectory, reducing friction and vibration, and improving adjustment accuracy and film uniformity.

[0047] The detection device 3 includes multiple photoelectric sensors, which are electrically connected to the controller 5. These sensors detect changes in the position of the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material. The multiple photoelectric sensors are vertically distributed on the outer side of the crucible 1. In this embodiment, the photoelectric sensors can be mounted on the side of the crucible 1, allowing the light beam to be obliquely incident on the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material at a certain angle, ensuring complete coverage of the evaporation area and providing real-time, accurate feedback of the material's surface position. This mounting method avoids splashes or steam generated during evaporation directly obscuring the light beam, improving detection stability. Multiple photoelectric sensors can be arranged sequentially along the axial direction of the crucible side, detecting the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material from different heights, enabling more accurate acquisition of information on changes in the upper surface position. In actual operation, the position of the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material continuously changes as the evaporation process continues. The photoelectric sensors, utilizing their high-precision optical detection principle, can capture these minute positional changes in real-time and accurately. When the position of the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material changes, the photoelectric sensor immediately converts the detected signal into an electrical signal and rapidly transmits it to the controller 5. Upon receiving the signal from the photoelectric sensor, the controller 5 immediately analyzes and processes it. Based on the real-time changes in the position of the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material, the controller 5 adjusts the extension length of the electric telescopic rod accordingly. If the position of the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material decreases, the controller 5 controls the electric telescopic rod to gradually extend, driving the crucible 1 to move towards the substrate fixing part 2 or driving the substrate fixing part 2 to move towards the crucible 1 to compensate for the distance change. This ensures that the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material and the substrate fixing part 2 remains constant, ensuring uniform film thickness and improving product quality.

[0048] The detection device 3 is a gravity sensor, which is located at the bottom of the crucible 1 and electrically connected to the controller 5. In this embodiment, before the vapor deposition process begins, the initial total weight of the crucible 1 and the vapor deposition material is measured. Since the vapor deposition material has a certain height and distribution within the crucible 1, its gravity acting on the platform will generate a specific pressure signal, which the gravity sensor records as the initial state. As evaporation proceeds, the vapor deposition material gradually decreases, and its mass also decreases, causing the gravity sensor to detect a decrease in gravity. Assuming that the vapor deposition material evaporates uniformly, there is a certain correlation between the decrease in mass and the decrease in the position of the upper surface of the vapor deposition material. By using a pre-established mass-height model or by experimental calibration, the change in the position of the upper surface of the vapor deposition material can be inferred from the gravity changes measured by the gravity sensor. For example, if it is known that the corresponding height of the upper surface decreases is fixed for every certain amount of vapor-deposited material reduced, then the change in the position of the upper surface can be calculated by monitoring the mass change in real time through the gravity sensor. This allows the change in the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material and the substrate fixing part 2 to be deduced. The controller 5 will control the electric telescopic rod to gradually extend, driving the crucible 1 to move towards the substrate fixing part 2 or driving the substrate fixing part 2 to move towards the crucible 1 to compensate for the distance change. This ensures that the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material and the substrate fixing part 2 remains unchanged, ensuring uniform film thickness and improving product quality.

[0049] The detection device 3 is a timing module, which is electrically connected to the controller 5. The timing module records the evaporation time, calculates the position of the upper surface of the evaporated material based on the evaporation time, and then controls the activation of the heating wire. Specifically, an evaporation model needs to be established based on the characteristics of the evaporated material and the parameters of the evaporation equipment. This model can describe the relationship between the mass loss of the evaporated material and time under given heating conditions. For example, according to the Langmuir-Knudsen equation, the evaporation rate is related to factors such as the vapor pressure and temperature of the material. After determining the relevant parameters through experiments, the function m(t) of the mass change of the evaporated material with time can be obtained. Since the volume of the evaporated material is proportional to its mass, and assuming that the evaporated material maintains a regular shape during evaporation, such as approximately a cylinder, the mass change can be converted into a volume change V(t) = m(t) / ρ based on the density ρ of the material. To determine the position of the upper surface of the evaporated material, the initial shape and size of the evaporated material need to be considered. Assuming that the evaporated material is initially a cylinder with a height of h0 and a base area of ​​S, its volume gradually decreases and the position of the upper surface gradually decreases as evaporation proceeds. Let h be the height by which the upper surface position descends relative to the initial position. d (t), then V(t)=S×h d (t), thus obtaining h d(t)=V(t) / S=m(t) / ρS. Based on the above relationship, the relationship between the evaporation time t and the position h on the upper surface of the evaporated material can be established. d The correspondence between (t) and the target film thickness is determined based on the expected evaporation rate. Before the evaporation process begins, the approximate evaporation time T and the corresponding upper surface position change curve h are estimated. d (t). During the vapor deposition process, the controller monitors the vapor deposition time according to a preset time interval Δt, and according to h d (t) Calculate the position that the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material should be in at the current time. Then, calculate the change in distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material and the substrate fixing part 2. The controller 5 will control the electric telescopic rod to gradually extend, driving the crucible 1 to move towards the substrate fixing part 2 or driving the substrate fixing part 2 to move towards the crucible 1 to compensate for the distance change, so as to ensure that the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material and the substrate fixing part 2 remains unchanged, ensuring uniform film thickness and improving product quality.

[0050] In this invention, the heating device employs multiple independent heating wires 2 as heating elements. These heating wires 2 are arranged sequentially along the axial direction of the crucible 1 to ensure uniform heating of the vapor-deposited material. Furthermore, each heating wire 2 is independently controlled, allowing for highly flexible and precise adjustment of the heating wires to be activated based on actual operating conditions. During actual operation, as the vapor-deposited material gradually decreases, its upper surface position also decreases. The controller 3 continuously controls the heating wires flush with the vapor-deposited material to maintain a high-temperature heating state, while other heating wires located above the upper surface of the material are automatically switched off, ensuring that heat is always concentrated at the level of the vapor-deposited material. Secondly, precise control of the heating wire switching states effectively saves energy. Traditional whole-crucible heating methods waste a significant amount of energy. However, in this design, because the area requiring heating can be precisely located, heat is accurately applied to the side of the vapor-deposited material, penetrating into the material along a predetermined path, significantly improving heat utilization. Moreover, this design cleverly solves the problem of uneven heat distribution within the vapor-deposited material. In traditional monolithic heating methods, uneven heating of different parts of the material easily leads to inconsistent evaporation rates, thus affecting product quality stability. This application's embodiment employs a flexible layout and precise control of multiple independent heating wires, resulting in a more uniform heat distribution across the entire surface of the vapor-deposited material, ensuring a stable and efficient evaporation process. By independently controlling the heating wires, unnecessary wires can be precisely cut off, allowing only the heating wires flush with the vapor-deposited material to operate, ensuring continuous and reliable operation of the entire evaporation process.

[0051] The heating wire is constructed as a nested crucible, specifically, it is tightly wound around the circumference of the vapor-deposited material, completely enveloping it. This surrounding arrangement fundamentally ensures that heat can be uniformly and efficiently transferred to every minute part of the vapor-deposited material. On the one hand, it naturally gives the heat a centripetal focusing characteristic during the transfer process, much like light being focused through a concave lens. The heat is no longer scattered and disordered, but rather tightly clustered around the vapor-deposited material, greatly avoiding local overheating or underheating. Compared to traditional linear or decentralized heating modes, the method used in this application allows the temperature difference on the surface of the vapor-deposited material to be controlled within an extremely small range, almost negligible. This means that during the evaporation process, each tiny evaporation unit can undergo phase transformation under nearly identical thermodynamic conditions, ensuring that the evaporation rate remains stable and efficient, thereby significantly improving the evaporation efficiency of the vapor-deposited material. On the other hand, a uniform and stable thermal environment is crucial for ensuring the quality of the vapor-deposited material. Past practice has shown that drastic fluctuations in local temperature often lead to quality problems such as abnormal crystallization and component segregation in the vapor-deposited material, seriously affecting the performance of the final product. The nested design acts like a "constant-temperature incubator" for the vapor-depositing material, allowing it to evaporate and sublimate stably within the optimal temperature range. This ensures the purity and consistency of the evaporation products, improving product quality from the source. Simultaneously, this ring-shaped design offers unexpected convenience for installation and maintenance in engineering practice. From an installation perspective, its regular ring shape naturally matches the circumference of the vapor-depositing material. Assembly requires no complex positioning adjustments or angle calibrations; operators simply follow standard procedures to loop the heating wire around the vapor-depositing material and secure it, significantly shortening assembly time, reducing assembly difficulty, and effectively improving production efficiency. The advantages of the ring-shaped heating wire remain significant during long-term operation and maintenance. In case of malfunction requiring repair or replacement, its clear structural layout allows maintenance personnel to quickly locate the problem and easily disassemble or replace damaged heating wire segments without extensive disassembly of the entire heating system, minimizing downtime and ensuring production continuity. This ease of maintenance not only directly improves the efficiency of daily equipment operation and maintenance, but also indirectly extends the overall service life of the equipment.

[0052] The heating wires, as described above, are cleverly positioned on crucible 1 and uniformly distributed circumferentially around the vapor deposition material. This circumferential distribution allows the heating wires to heat the vapor deposition material from various angles, effectively avoiding heating dead zones and ensuring uniform heating of the material in the circumferential direction. Simultaneously, multiple heating wires are arranged sequentially along the axial direction of crucible 1, forming a multi-layered heating structure. This axial distribution allows the heating wires to precisely heat different height positions of the vapor deposition material, further improving heating uniformity and efficiency. Through this multi-layered, multi-angle heating design, the vapor deposition material receives uniform heating from all directions within the crucible, significantly improving the stability of the vapor deposition process and material utilization. Furthermore, the independent control characteristics of the heating wires make operation more flexible, allowing for fine-tuning according to the evaporation characteristics of different materials, further optimizing the vapor deposition effect and ensuring high-quality thin film deposition. In addition, the selection of the heating wire material is also crucial; high-purity, high-temperature resistant alloy materials are typically used.

[0053] In one embodiment of this application, a heating wire is wound around the outer peripheral wall of the crucible 1. This winding method ensures uniform heating and avoids localized overheating. Simultaneously, the winding method improves heating efficiency and extends the service life of the heating wire. Installing the heating wire on the outer peripheral wall is relatively simple and direct; the heating wire is simply fixed to the outside of the crucible 1 according to a predetermined winding method, eliminating the need for complex internal embedding processes and reducing the manufacturing cost of the crucible 1. During routine maintenance, if a problem occurs with the heating wire, the fault point can be quickly located and replaced without disassembling the internal structure of the crucible 1, significantly shortening repair time, reducing maintenance difficulty and cost, and contributing to the continuous and stable operation of the vapor deposition equipment. Furthermore, the internal structure of the crucible does not require special design to accommodate the heating wire, allowing for greater freedom in the selection of shape, size, and materials, further enhancing the crucible's applicability and versatility.

[0054] In another embodiment, an installation space is formed inside the side wall of crucible 1, and the heating wire is disposed within this installation space. The installation space is typically a specific channel or interlayer pre-set within the wall of crucible 1. This space not only tightly fits the heating wire, ensuring good heat conduction efficiency, but also effectively isolates the heating wire from the vapor deposition material inside crucible 1, preventing direct contact. Because the heating wire is closely adjacent to the interior of crucible 1, heat can be directly transferred to crucible 1 via a very short path, minimizing heat loss during the transfer process. This results in faster heating and allows the vapor deposition material to be rapidly raised to the required evaporation temperature, which is particularly suitable for vapor deposition processes with stringent heating rate requirements, thus improving production efficiency. Furthermore, the placement of the heating wire within the installation space allows heat to be evenly dissipated from multiple points inside the crucible. Compared to installation on the outer peripheral wall of crucible 1, this makes it easier to create a uniform and stable temperature field inside the crucible. This is crucial for ensuring uniform heating of the vapor deposition material throughout the crucible and achieving a stable and consistent evaporation rate, thereby effectively improving the uniformity of the vapor-deposited film and meeting the stringent quality requirements of high-end products.

[0055] Furthermore, the independent operation of multiple heating wires facilitates equipment maintenance. When a section of the heating wire malfunctions, only that section needs to be replaced, eliminating the need for a complete replacement. This further reduces maintenance costs and downtime, ensuring continuous and efficient production line operation. This design allows for localized heating and layer-by-layer evaporation, ensuring the surface of the vapor-deposited material is consistently and evenly heated, significantly reducing energy consumption and improving energy efficiency. Simultaneously, localized heating reduces overall thermal stress on the crucible, extending equipment lifespan and ensuring the stability and reliability of the production process.

[0056] Heating wires are typically made of high-resistivity, high-temperature-resistant alloys to ensure stable operation and resistance to oxidation in high-temperature environments. This material selection not only extends the lifespan of the heating wire but also improves heat transfer efficiency, making the heating process more efficient. Simultaneously, the excellent properties of the alloy material ensure that the heating wire is not easily deformed during long-term use, further guaranteeing heating uniformity and stability, and providing a reliable guarantee for high-quality vapor deposition processes. This design not only improves the overall reliability of the equipment but also reduces long-term maintenance costs, further enhancing the economic efficiency of the production line.

[0057] like Figure 4 As shown, a vapor deposition method using a vapor deposition equipment includes the following steps:

[0058] S1: Obtain the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material in crucible 1 and the substrate fixing part 2.

[0059] Specifically, the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material in the crucible 1 and the substrate fixing part 2 is obtained in real time through a photoelectric sensor, gravity sensor or timing module.

[0060] S2: Based on the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material and the substrate fixing part 2, the controller controls the moving device 4 to move the crucible 1 toward the substrate fixing part 2, or controls the moving device 4 to move the substrate fixing part 2 toward the crucible 1.

[0061] This invention ensures that the distance L is always kept within a preset range to guarantee uniform deposition of the vapor-deposited material. The controller 5 dynamically adjusts the extension speed of the electric lifting rod based on real-time data, precisely controlling the vapor deposition process to ensure consistent film thickness and quality.

[0062] The embodiment proposed in this application uses a detection device 3 to detect the change in distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material and the substrate fixing part 2. The controller 5 controls the moving device 4 to move the crucible 1 toward the substrate fixing part 2 or to drive the substrate fixing part 2 toward the crucible 1 to compensate for the distance change, so as to ensure that the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material and the substrate fixing part 2 remains unchanged, ensuring uniform film thickness and improving product quality.

[0063] It should be noted that the above description describes some embodiments of this disclosure. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recorded in the claims can be performed in a different order than that shown in the above embodiments and still achieve the desired result. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the drawings do not necessarily require a specific or sequential order to achieve the desired result. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

[0064] This disclosure is intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications, and variations that fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A vapor deposition apparatus, characterized in that, include: A crucible having a cavity inside for filling a vapor deposition material; A substrate fixing part is disposed above the crucible and is used to fix the substrate; A heating device, comprising a heating wire sleeved on the outside of the crucible, is used to heat the vapor-deposited material to an evaporating gas, the evaporating gas adhering to the substrate; The detection device is used to determine the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material and the substrate fixing part; The controller is electrically connected to both the detection device and the moving device. The controller sends a control command to the mobile device based on the detection signal from the detection device. The mobile device responds to the command and acts so that the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material and the substrate fixing part remains unchanged.

2. The vapor deposition equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a housing, in which the crucible, the substrate fixing part and the moving device are all disposed.

3. The vapor deposition equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The moving device is used to drive the crucible and / or the substrate fixing part to move; Preferably, the moving device includes a telescopic rod; Preferably, the telescopic rod includes an electrically operated telescopic rod.

4. The vapor deposition equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, One end of the electric telescopic rod is fixedly connected to the bottom wall of the housing, and the other end is fixedly connected to the crucible.

5. The vapor deposition equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, One end of the electric telescopic rod is fixedly connected to the top wall of the housing, and the other end is fixedly connected to the base plate fixing part.

6. The vapor deposition equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The detection device includes multiple photoelectric sensors, which are distributed vertically on the outside of the crucible, and each photoelectric sensor is electrically connected to the controller.

7. The vapor deposition equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The detection device is a gravity sensor, which is located at the bottom of the crucible and is electrically connected to the controller.

8. The vapor deposition equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The detection device is a timing module, which is electrically connected to the controller.

9. A vapor deposition method using vapor deposition equipment, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Obtain the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material in the crucible and the substrate fixing part; Based on the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material and the substrate fixing part, the controller controls the moving device to move the crucible toward the substrate fixing part and / or controls the moving device to move the substrate fixing part toward the crucible.

10. The vapor deposition method according to claim 9, characterized in that, Specifically, obtaining the distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material in the crucible and the substrate fixing part includes: The distance L between the upper surface of the vapor-deposited material in the crucible and the substrate fixing part is obtained in real time by photoelectric sensor, gravity sensor or timing module.

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