Evaporator design with low heat load

Abstract

A method and apparatus for thermal evaporation are provided. The thermal evaporator includes an evaporator body operable to hold and vaporize a coating material to be deposited. The evaporator body includes a cylindrical wall having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, a first sidewall perpendicular to and coupled to the first end of the cylindrical wall, and a second sidewall perpendicular to and coupled to the second end of the cylindrical wall. The evaporator body defines an interior region. The interior region has a source region operable to hold and vaporize the coating material to be deposited and an evaporation region operable to heat the evaporated coating material to maintain it in a gas phase. The thermal evaporator further includes heating sources disposed in both the source region and the evaporation region.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates generally to evaporation systems for supplying gases to reactive deposition processes. More particularly, this disclosure relates generally to thermal evaporator designs that provide uniform evaporation rates at relatively low temperatures. [Background technology]

[0002]

[0002] The processing of flexible substrates, such as plastic films or foils, is in high demand in the packaging, semiconductor, and other industries. Processing can involve coating the flexible substrate with a selected material, such as a metal. Economical production of these coatings is limited by the required thickness uniformity of the product, the reactivity of the coating material, the cost of the coating material, and the deposition rate of the coating material. The most demanding applications generally require deposition in a vacuum chamber to precisely control the coating thickness and optimal optical properties. Due to the high capital cost of vacuum coating equipment, large-scale commercial applications require high throughput of coated areas. The coated area per unit time is typically proportional to the width of the coated substrate and the vacuum deposition rate of the coating material.

[0003]

[0003] Deposition processes that can utilize large vacuum chambers offer significant economic advantages. The costs of vacuum coating chambers, substrate processing and handling equipment, and pumping capacity do not increase linearly with chamber size. Therefore, the most economical process for a given deposition rate and coating design will utilize the largest substrate available. Generally, large substrates can be processed into individual parts after the coating process is complete. For products made from a continuous web, the web is slit or sheeted to either the final product dimensions or narrower webs suitable for subsequent manufacturing operations.

[0004]

[0004] One technique used for deposition is thermal evaporation. Thermal evaporation occurs when a source material is heated in an open crucible in a vacuum chamber until the vapor flux from the source reaches a temperature sufficient to condense on a cooler substrate. The source material can be heated indirectly by heating the crucible, or directly by a high-current electron beam directed at the source material confined by the crucible. Thermal evaporation typically occurs at high temperatures, which can result in a high heat load on the substrate being processed. Such a high heat load can damage the substrate. One method to reduce the heat load is to cool the crucible by radiative cooling. However, radiative cooling is typically very slow, which can significantly increase chamber downtime and lead to increased cost of ownership.

[0005]

[0005] Additionally, current thermal evaporator designs that use external heaters can suffer from radiative heat losses, which can lead to increased power consumption to achieve the target temperature.

[0006]

[0006] Therefore, what is needed is an apparatus and method for reducing the heat load on a substrate during a thermal evaporation process. Summary of the Invention

[0007]

[0007] This disclosure relates generally to evaporation systems for supplying gases to reactive deposition processes. More particularly, this disclosure relates generally to thermal evaporator designs that provide uniform evaporation rates at relatively low temperatures.

[0008] In one aspect, a thermal evaporator is provided. The thermal evaporator includes an evaporator body operable to hold and vaporize a coating material to be deposited. The evaporator body includes a cylindrical wall having a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The evaporator body further includes a first sidewall perpendicular to and coupled to the first end of the cylindrical wall, and a second sidewall perpendicular to and coupled to the second end of the cylindrical wall. The cylindrical wall, the first sidewall, and the second sidewall define an interior region. The interior region has a source region operable to hold and vaporize the coating material to be deposited, and an evaporation region operable to heat the evaporated coating material to maintain it in a gas phase. The thermal evaporator further includes one or more first heating sources disposed in the source region. The one or more first heating sources extend from the first sidewall to the second sidewall along a first direction. The thermal evaporator further includes one or more second heating sources disposed in the evaporation region, the one or more second heating sources extending along a first direction from the first sidewall to the second sidewall, and a linear array of nozzles fluidly coupled to the interior region through the cylindrical wall and operable to deliver vaporized coating material.

[0009]

[0009] Implementations may include one or more of the following features. A thermal evaporator, wherein the evaporator body may comprise a material selected from molybdenum, graphite, stainless steel, boron nitride, or combinations thereof. The evaporator body is machined from a single piece of material. At least one of the one or more first heating sources and the one or more second heating sources may comprise a heating rod. The heating rod is disposed within a tube extending along a first direction from a first end of the cylindrical wall to a second end of the cylindrical wall, and the tube may comprise a thermally conductive material. The one or more second heating sources are conductively coupled to the evaporator body via a source mount. The source mount may comprise the same material as the evaporator body. The one or more second heating sources are disposed adjacent to a linear array of nozzles. The linear array of nozzles extends along the first direction from a first sidewall to a second sidewall. At least one of the one or more first heat sources and the one or more second heat sources may include a material selected from graphite, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, boron nitride, and titanium diboride.

[0010] In another aspect, a system for coating a substrate by evaporating a coating material in a vacuum chamber is provided. The system includes a thermal evaporator. The thermal evaporator of the present invention includes an evaporator body operable to hold and evaporate a coating material to be deposited. The evaporator body includes a cylindrical wall having a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The evaporator body further includes a first sidewall perpendicular to and coupled to the first end of the cylindrical wall. The evaporator body further includes a second sidewall perpendicular to and coupled to the second end of the cylindrical wall. The cylindrical wall, the first sidewall, and the second sidewall define an interior region. The interior region has a source region operable to hold and evaporate the coating material to be deposited and an evaporation region operable to heat the evaporated coating material to maintain it in a gas phase. The thermal evaporator further includes one or more first heating sources disposed in the source region. The one or more first heating sources extend from the first sidewall to the second sidewall along a first direction. The thermal evaporator includes one or more second heating sources disposed in the evaporation region. The one or more second heating sources extend from the first sidewall to the second sidewall along the first direction. The thermal evaporator further includes a linear array of nozzles fluidly coupled to the interior region through the cylindrical wall and operable to deliver vaporized coating material. The system further includes at least one containment shield disposed around the thermal evaporator, the containment shield defining a deposition zone for containing the vaporized coating material being deposited. The system further includes a coating drum for supporting a continuous flexible substrate to be coated in the deposition zone. The system further includes a vacuum chamber, in which the thermal evaporator, the at least one containment shield, and the coating drum are disposed.

[0011]

[0011] Implementations may include one or more of the following features. The system includes an evaporator body that may include a material selected from molybdenum, graphite, stainless steel, boron nitride, or a combination thereof. The evaporator body is machined from a single piece of material. At least one of the one or more first heating sources and the one or more second heating sources may include a heating rod. The heating rod is disposed within a tube that extends along the first direction from a first end of the cylindrical wall to a second end of the cylindrical wall, and the tube may include a thermally conductive material. The one or more second heating sources are conductively coupled to the evaporator body via a source mount. The source mount may include the same material as the evaporator body. The one or more second heating sources are disposed adjacent to a linear array of nozzles. The linear array of nozzles extends along the first direction from a first sidewall to a second sidewall. At least one of the one or more first heating sources and the one or more second heating sources may include a material selected from graphite, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, boron nitride, and titanium diboride. The system may include a power supply coupled to at least one of the one or more first heating sources and the one or more second heating sources, the power supply providing an electrical current to heat the at least one of the one or more first heating sources and the one or more second heating sources.

[0012] In yet another aspect, a method for evaporating a coating material for coating a continuous flexible substrate is provided. The method includes supplying a quantity of the coating material to be evaporated to a source region of a thermal evaporator. The thermal evaporator includes an evaporator body operable to hold and evaporate the coating material to be deposited. The evaporator body includes a cylindrical wall having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, a first sidewall perpendicular to and coupled to the first end of the cylindrical wall, and a second sidewall perpendicular to and coupled to the second end of the cylindrical wall. The cylindrical wall, the first sidewall, and the second sidewall define an interior region. The interior region has a source region operable to hold and evaporate the coating material to be deposited and an evaporation region that is heated to maintain the evaporated coating material to be deposited in a gas phase. The thermal evaporator further includes one or more first heating sources disposed in the source region and extending from the first sidewall to the second sidewall along a first direction, and one or more second heating sources disposed in the evaporation region and extending from the first sidewall to the second sidewall along the first direction. The thermal evaporator further includes a linear array of nozzles fluidly coupled to the interior region through the cylindrical wall and operable to deliver vaporized coating material. The method further includes heating the coating material to be deposited to a predetermined temperature using the one or more first heating sources in the source region to vaporize the deposited coating material. The method further includes maintaining the vaporized coating material in vapor form by exposing the vaporized coating material to one or more second heating sources. The method further includes confining the vaporized coating material in a deposition zone and moving a continuous flexible substrate through the deposition zone to coat the substrate with the vaporized coating material from the thermal evaporator.

[0013] Implementations may include one or more of the following features: A method wherein a thermal evaporator and a deposition zone are disposed within a vacuum chamber to evaporate and deposit a coating material on a substrate in a vacuum environment. A method wherein the coating material to be evaporated is selected from lithium, sodium, selenium, magnesium, zinc, cadmium, aluminum, gallium, indium, thallium, tin, lead, antimony, bismuth, and tellurium, alkaline earth metals, silver, or combinations thereof. A method wherein the continuous flexible substrate comprises a polymeric material. A method wherein the continuous flexible substrate comprises a metal.

[0014]

[0014] In another aspect, instructions are stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed by a processor, cause the process to perform the operations of the apparatus, the method, or both the apparatus and the method of the above method.

[0015]

[0015] So that the described features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the above briefly summarized aspects can be had by reference to implementations, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be noted, however, that the accompanying drawings illustrate only typical implementations of the present disclosure and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present disclosure, since the present disclosure may also admit of other implementations that are equally effective. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1]

[0016] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an evaporation system having one or more cylindrical evaporation assemblies according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. [Figure 2A]

[0017] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a cylindrical evaporation assembly according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. [Figure 2B]

[0018] FIG. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cylindrical evaporation assembly of FIG. 2A according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. [Figure 2C]

[0019] FIG. 2B is a schematic side view of the cylindrical evaporation assembly of FIG. 2A according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. [Figure 3A]

[0020] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of another cylindrical evaporation assembly according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. [Figure 3B]

[0021] FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cylindrical evaporation assembly of FIG. 3A according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. [Figure 3C]

[0022] FIG. 3B is a schematic side view of the cylindrical evaporation assembly of FIG. 3A according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. [Figure 4]

[0023] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of yet another cylindrical evaporation assembly according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. [Figure 5]

[0024] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another cylindrical evaporation assembly according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. [Figure 6A]

[0025] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an evaporation assembly according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. [Figure 6B]

[0026] FIG. 6B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the evaporation assembly of FIG. 6A according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. [Figure 7]

[0027] FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an evaporation system incorporating the cylindrical evaporation assembly of FIG. 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017]

[0028] For ease of understanding, where possible, identical reference numerals have been used to designate identical elements common to the figures. It is intended that elements and features of one implementation may be beneficially incorporated in other implementations without further recitation.

[0018]

[0029] Vacuum web coating for anode prelithiation and solid metal anode deposition typically involves the deposition of thick (3-20 microns) metal (e.g., lithium) layers onto single- or double-sided coated flexible substrates, such as metal current collectors such as copper foil, nickel foil, or metallized plastic webs, graphite-coated substrates, or polymer substrates (e.g., polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates). One technique used for deposition is thermal evaporation. Thermal evaporation occurs easily when source material is heated in an open crucible within a vacuum chamber and the vapor flux from the source reaches a temperature sufficient to condense onto the cooler substrate. The source material can be heated indirectly by heating the crucible or directly by a high-current electron beam directed at the source material confined by the crucible.

[0019]

[0030] Conventional evaporator systems often require high temperatures (e.g., approximately 200–1500°C) for evaporation, resulting in high thermal loads on the processed web or substrate. Conventional evaporator systems that use cooling drums also apply high tension (e.g., 200–800 N) to the web, increasing contact pressure on the cooling drum. Furthermore, conventional evaporator systems experience high radiant heat loads due to the large surface area of ​​the evaporator body in close proximity to the substrate. Furthermore, conventional evaporator systems often use crucibles with external heaters. Such external heaters can increase the combined radiant and condensation heat loads, further increasing the heat load. The increased heat load and contact pressure have several drawbacks. For example, the increased heat load and contact pressure can lead to wrinkling of the processed web or web breakage during processing, potentially affecting the final product after coating. Furthermore, current evaporator systems are often highly sensitive to the tilt angle of deposition, which can pose additional challenges when deposition occurs on a cooling drum. Moreover, some conventional evaporator systems include complex two-body designs that are highly susceptible to leakage in high temperature environments, thus increasing material costs.

[0020]

[0031] The described thermal evaporators include a cylindrical evaporator design, which can evaporate materials for deposition at high rates while significantly reducing the thermal load of evaporation. The disclosed cylindrical evaporator design eliminates the external crucible heater found in currently available evaporator designs. Eliminating the external crucible heater reduces power consumption and reduces the thermal load on the web substrate. The disclosed cylindrical evaporator design minimizes heat loss. The cylindrical evaporator design is insensitive to tilt angles relative to the substrate. Furthermore, the low thermal load of the cylindrical evaporator design significantly reduces wrinkling of the web substrate.

[0021]

[0032] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an evaporation system 100 including one or more cylindrical thermal evaporation assemblies 140a-140i (collectively 140) according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. The evaporation system 100 may be a roll-to-roll system adapted for depositing a coating on a web material, for example, to deposit a metal-containing film stack according to the described implementations. As an example, the evaporation system 100 can be used to deposit a metal or metal alloy. For example, the evaporation system 100 and the cylindrical thermal evaporation assembly 140 can be used to deposit a metal or metal alloy. Examples of metals and metal alloys include, but are not limited to, alkali metals (e.g., lithium or sodium), selenium, magnesium, zinc, cadmium, aluminum, gallium, indium, thallium, tin, lead, antimony, bismuth, and tellurium, alkaline earth metals, silver, or combinations thereof. These metals or metal alloys can be used to fabricate film stacks for energy storage devices, particularly lithium-containing anode structures. The evaporation system 100 includes a chamber body 102 that defines a common processing environment 104 in which some or all of the processing operations for depositing a coating on a web material can be performed. In one example, the common processing environment 104 can operate as a vacuum environment. In another example, the common processing environment 104 can operate as an inert gas environment. In some examples, the common processing environment 104 can operate as a vacuum environment. In some examples, the common processing environment 104 can operate as an inert gas environment. -3 mbar or less, e.g., 1×10 -4 The process pressure can be maintained at or below mbar.

[0022]

[0033] The evaporation system 100 is configured as a roll-to-roll system including an unwind reel 106 for supplying a continuous flexible substrate 108 or web, a coating drum 110 upon which the continuous flexible substrate 108 is processed, and a take-up reel 112 for collecting the continuous flexible substrate 108 after processing. The coating drum 110 includes a deposition surface 111 over which the continuous flexible substrate 108 moves while material is deposited onto the continuous flexible substrate 108. The evaporation system 100 can further include one or more auxiliary transfer reels 114, 116 disposed between the unwind reel 106, the coating drum 110, and the take-up reel 112. According to certain embodiments, at least one of the one or more auxiliary transfer reels 114, 116, the unwind reel 106, the coating drum 110, and the take-up reel 112 can be driven and rotated by a motor. In one example, the motor is a stepper motor. Although the unwind reel 106, coating drum 110, and take-up reel 112 are shown as being located in a common processing environment 104, it should be understood that the unwind reel 106 and take-up reel 112 can be located in separate chambers or modules, for example, at least one of the unwind reels 106 can be located in an unwind module, the coating drum 110 can be located in a processing module, and the take-up reel 112 can be located in the unwind module.

[0023]

[0034] The unwind reel 106, the coating drum 110, and the take-up reel 112 may be individually temperature controlled. For example, the unwind reel 106, the coating drum 110, and the take-up reel 112 may be individually heated using internal or external heat sources located within each reel.

[0024]

[0035] In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the one or more cylindrical thermal evaporation assemblies 140 can be removably coupled to a containment shield (not shown). In another implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the one or more cylindrical thermal evaporation assemblies 140 can be spaced apart from the coating drum 110. The one or more cylindrical thermal evaporation assemblies 140 are positioned to deliver vaporized coating material onto the continuous flexible substrate 108 as the continuous flexible substrate 108 moves through a deposition zone 120 on the deposition surface 111 of the coating drum 110.

[0025]

[0036] The deposition zone 120 is defined between one or more cylindrical thermal evaporation assemblies 140 and the deposition surface 111 of the coating drum 110. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the deposition zone 120 provides an isolated processing area within the common processing environment 104 of the chamber body 102. The deposition zone 120 can be minimized and defined to accommodate a web, e.g., a continuous flexible substrate 108 wound around a cylindrical cooling drum (e.g., the coating drum 110), a planar cooling plate, or wound in a free-span direction. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the deposition zone 120 is defined by at least one containment shield (see FIG. 7 ) disposed between the cylindrical thermal evaporator assembly 140 and the coating drum 110. The containment shield defines the deposition zone 120 to confine the evaporated coating material being deposited.

[0026]

[0037] The one or more cylindrical thermal evaporation assemblies 140 are described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2A-7. The one or more cylindrical thermal evaporation assemblies 140 are arranged to perform one or more processing operations on a continuous flexible substrate 108 or web of material. In one example, as depicted in FIG. 1, the one or more cylindrical thermal evaporation assemblies 140 are arranged radially around the coating drum 110. Additionally, non-radial arrangements are also contemplated. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the one or more cylindrical thermal evaporation assemblies 140 include a lithium (Li) source. Additionally, the one or more cylindrical thermal evaporation assemblies 140 can also include a source of an alloy of two or more metals. The coating material to be deposited can be evaporated, for example, by thermal evaporation techniques.

[0027]

[0038] During operation, one or more cylindrical thermal evaporation assemblies 140 emit a plume of vaporized coating material 122 that is attracted to the continuous flexible substrate 108, forming a film of the deposited material on the continuous flexible substrate 108.

[0028]

[0039] 1 illustrates nine cylindrical thermal evaporation assemblies 140a-140i, it should be understood that any number of evaporation assemblies may be used. Furthermore, evaporation system 100 may further include one or more additional deposition sources. For example, the one or more deposition sources described include an electron beam source and an additional source that may be selected from the group of CVD sources, PECVD sources, and various PVD sources. Exemplary PVD sources include sputtering sources, electron beam evaporation sources, and thermal evaporation sources. Furthermore, these additional deposition sources may be positioned radially relative to deposition surface 111 of coating drum 110.

[0029]

[0040] In one implementation of the present disclosure that can be combined with other implementations, the evaporation system 100 is configured to process both sides of the continuous flexible substrate 108. For example, additional evaporation assemblies similar to one or more cylindrical thermal evaporation assemblies 140 can be arranged to process opposing sides of the continuous flexible substrate 108. While the evaporation system 100 is configured to process the continuous flexible substrate 108 arranged in a horizontal orientation, the evaporation system 100 can be configured to process substrates arranged in a different orientation, for example, the continuous flexible substrate 108 can be arranged in a vertical orientation. In one implementation of the present disclosure that can be combined with other implementations, the continuous flexible substrate 108 is a flexible polymer substrate (e.g., a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate), a flexible conductive substrate (e.g., a copper foil substrate), or a combination of both. In one implementation of the present disclosure that can be combined with other implementations, the continuous flexible substrate 108 includes a conductive substrate having one or more layers formed thereon. In one implementation of the present disclosure that can be combined with other implementations, the continuous flexible substrate 108 includes a conductive substrate having one or more layers formed thereon. In one implementation of the present disclosure that can be combined with other implementations, the conductive substrate is a copper substrate.

[0030]

[0041] Evaporation system 100 further includes a gas panel 160. Gas panel 160 uses one or more conduits (not shown) to deliver process gases to evaporation system 100. Gas panel 160 can include mass flow controllers and shut-off valves to control the gas pressure and flow rate of individual gases supplied to evaporation system 100. Examples of gases that can be delivered by gas panel 160 include, but are not limited to, inert gases (e.g., argon) for pressure control, etching chemicals including, but not limited to, diketones used for in-situ cleaning of evaporation system 100, and deposition chemicals including, but not limited to, 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane or other hydrofluorocarbons and trimethylaluminum, titanium tetrachloride, or other metal-organic precursors used for in-situ modification of reactive lithium mixed conductor surfaces tens of nanometers thick.

[0031]

[0042] The evaporation system 100 further includes a system controller 170 operable to control various aspects of the evaporation system 100. The system controller 170 facilitates control and automation of the evaporation system 100 and may include a central processing unit (CPU), memory, and support circuitry (or I / O). Software instructions and data can be coded and stored in the memory to instruct the CPU. The system controller 170 can communicate with one or more of the evaporation system 100 components, for example, via a system bus. A program (or computer instructions) readable by the system controller 170 determines the tasks that can be performed on the substrate. In some embodiments, the program is software readable by the system controller 170 and can include code for monitoring chamber conditions, including independent temperature control of one or more cylindrical thermal evaporation assemblies 140. While only a single system controller, the system controller 170, is shown, it should be understood that multiple system controllers can be used in the described embodiments.

[0032]

[0043] The evaporation system 100 may further include a power supply 180 for providing power to the evaporation system 100 components. For example, the power supply 180 may be electrically coupled to one or more heat sources within the cylindrical thermal evaporator assembly 140.

[0033]

[0044] The evaporation system 100 can further include a coating material supply 190 for supplying coating material to each of the cylindrical thermal evaporator assemblies. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the coating material supply maintains the coating material in a liquid state.

[0034]

[0045] In one example, each cylindrical thermal evaporator assembly 140a-i is spaced from an adjacent cylindrical thermal evaporator assembly by about 22 to about 26 centimeters, the coating drum 110 is a gas cushion drum cooled in the range of about -10°C to about 50°C, and the continuous flexible substrate travel speed is about 2 meters / minute, resulting in a line speed cooling time between the nozzles of adjacent cylindrical thermal evaporator assemblies 140a-i of about 12 to about 13 seconds.

[0035]

[0046] Figure 2A is a schematic perspective view of a cylindrical evaporation assembly 200 according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. Figure 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cylindrical evaporation assembly 200 of Figure 2A according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. Figure 2C is a schematic side view of the cylindrical evaporation assembly 200 of Figure 2A according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. The cylindrical evaporation assembly 200 can be used in place of the cylindrical thermal evaporation assembly 140 depicted in Figure 1.

[0036]

[0047] The cylindrical evaporation assembly 200 is designed to hold and vaporize a coating material to be evaporated, such as a metal or metal alloy. The cylindrical evaporation assembly 200 includes an evaporator body 212 for holding and vaporizing the coating material to be deposited. The cylindrical evaporation assembly 200 further includes one or more linear arrays of nozzles 248a-c fluidly coupled to the evaporator body 212 and operable to deliver the vaporized coating material. The linear array of nozzles 248a-c is related to the evaporation rate. The greater the number of nozzles, the greater the evaporation rate for a given surface area of ​​the evaporator. While the evaporator body 212 is shown as a cylinder or cylindrical body, other suitable shapes for the evaporator body 212 are also contemplated. The evaporator body 212 includes a cylindrical wall 214 having a first end 213 and a second end 215 opposite the first end 213. The cylindrical wall 214 further includes an inner surface 214i and an outer surface 214o.

[0037]

[0048] The evaporator body 212 further includes a first sidewall 220a and a second sidewall 220b (collectively 220) extending upward from and perpendicular to the cylindrical wall 214. The first sidewall 220a is perpendicular to and connected to the first end 213 of the cylindrical wall 214. The distance between the first sidewall 220a and the second sidewall 220b opposite the first sidewall 220a defines a length dimension "L1" of the evaporator body 212. The length dimension "L1" may be determined by the width of the substrate to be processed. In one example, the length dimension "L1" is 1 meter or less, for example, in the range of about 0.5 meters to about 1 meter. The first sidewall 220a and the second sidewall 220b each define the outer periphery of the evaporator body 212. Referring to FIG. 2B , the pair of opposing sidewalls 220a-b and the cylindrical wall 214 define an interior region 226 for holding the material to be evaporated. The interior region 226 includes a source region 227 and an evaporation region 228. The source region 227 is operable to hold the coating material to be evaporated / deposited in a molten and / or liquid state and to heat the coating material to evaporate it for deposition. In at least one implementation, the source region 227 is sized to hold about 0.5 liters to about 20 liters of lithium. In one example, the maximum surface area is achieved when the source region is 50% filled by volume, with a variation in surface area relative to dead volume of about 10%. The coating material to be evaporated / deposited can be supplied to the source region 227 of the evaporator body 212 from an external source, such as the coating material supply 190. The evaporation region 228 is heated to maintain the evaporated coating material in a gas phase.

[0038]

[0049] Interior region 226 further includes one or more heating sources. Source region 227 includes one or more heating sources 270. While a single heating source 270 is shown in source region 227 in FIG. 2B , any number of heating sources may be used to heat / maintain the coating material at a predetermined temperature for evaporation. Heating source 270 is used to heat and evaporate the coating material to be evaporated. Heating source 270 may be submerged or partially immersed in the coating material to be evaporated. In one implementation that can be combined with other implementations, heating source 270 is a cylindrical heater, such as a heating rod. In one implementation that can be combined with other implementations, the heating source includes a graphite heater enclosed within a stainless steel tube. When an electric current is passed through the graphite heater, the heater radiates heat to the tube immersed in the material to be evaporated. 2C, the heating source 270 may extend along a first direction from the first sidewall 220a to the second sidewall 220b of the evaporator body 212. The first direction may be parallel to the inner surface 214i of the cylindrical wall 214.

[0039]

[0050] The evaporation region 228 further includes one or more heating sources 272a, 272b for maintaining the evaporated coating material from the source region 227 in a vaporized state. While two heating sources 270a-b are shown in the evaporation region 228 in FIG. 2B , any number of heating sources may be used to maintain / heat the evaporated coating material at a predetermined temperature. The heating source 270 is used to maintain the evaporated coating material from the source region 227 in a vaporized state. As shown in FIG. 2C , the heating sources 272a-b may be positioned adjacent to the nozzle 248. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the heating sources 272a-b are cylindrical heaters, such as heating rods. As shown in FIG. 2B , the heating sources 272a-b may extend from the first sidewall 220a to the second sidewall 220b of the evaporator body 212 along a first direction. The one or more heating sources 270, 272 may comprise any suitable material. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the one or more heat sources 270, 272 include a material selected from graphite, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, boron nitride, silicon carbide, and titanium diboride. In a particular implementation, the one or more heat sources 270, 272 include graphite. The one or more heat sources 270, 272 are electrically coupled to a power supply, such as the power supply 180, to provide electrical current thereto for heating the one or more heat sources 270, 272. The one or more heat sources 270, 272 can be disposed within corresponding tubes, as described with respect to FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0040]

[0051] The evaporator body 212 can include any suitable material having high thermal conductivity. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the evaporator body 212 includes a material selected from molybdenum, graphite, stainless steel, boron nitride, titanium, or a combination thereof. Pyrolytic boron nitride is generally inert, can withstand high temperatures, is generally clean, does not contribute undesirable impurities to a vacuum environment, is generally transparent to certain wavelengths of infrared radiation, and can be machined into complex shapes, for example.

[0041]

[0052] In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the evaporator body 212 is machined from a single piece of material. In another implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the first side wall 220a and the second side wall 220b are attached to the cylindrical wall 214. Any suitable attachment technique can be used to attach the side walls 220a-b to the cylindrical wall 214. For example, the side walls 220a-b can be welded to the cylindrical wall 214. The side walls 220a-b can be bolted to the cylindrical wall 214.

[0042]

[0053] The cylindrical evaporation assembly 200 further includes a linear array of nozzles 248a-248c (collectively 248) in fluid communication with the interior region 226. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the linear array of nozzles 248 is aligned with the openings 216 defined by the cylindrical wall 214. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the linear array of nozzles 248 is positioned adjacent to or in contact with the cylindrical wall 214. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the linear array of nozzles 248 extends along a first direction from the first sidewall 220a to the second sidewall 220b of the evaporator body 212.

[0043]

[0054] One or more nozzles in the linear array of nozzles 248 deliver vaporized coating material from interior region 226 toward a continuous flexible substrate on which the vaporized coating material is deposited. One or more nozzles in the linear array of nozzles 248 include an opening defined by a diameter. The nozzle opening can be any diameter sufficient to deliver the vaporized coating material at a target vapor pressure. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, one or more nozzles or the linear array of nozzles 248 have an opening defined by a diameter in the range of about 1 millimeter to about 10 millimeters, or in the range of about 1.2 millimeters to about 5 millimeters, or in the range of about 4 millimeters to about 4.5 millimeters.

[0044]

[0055] Figure 3A is a schematic perspective view of another cylindrical evaporation assembly 300 according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. Figure 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cylindrical evaporation assembly 300 of Figure 3A according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. Figure 3C is a schematic side view of the cylindrical evaporation assembly 300 of Figure 3A according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. The cylindrical evaporation assembly 300 can be used in place of the cylindrical thermal evaporation assembly 140 depicted in Figure 1.

[0045]

[0056] Cylindrical evaporation assembly 300 is similar to cylindrical evaporation assembly 200 depicted in Figures 2A-2C, except that cylindrical evaporation assembly 300 includes one linear array of nozzles 248 and one heating source 272 disposed in evaporation region 228.

[0046]

[0057] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of yet another cylindrical evaporation assembly according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. The cylindrical evaporation assembly 400 can be used in place of the cylindrical thermal evaporation assembly 140 depicted in FIG. 1. The cylindrical evaporation assembly 400 includes multiple heating sources 272a-c. The multiple heating sources 272a-c can be disposed within corresponding tubes 271a-c. The tubes 271a-c can be made of a thermally conductive material, such as stainless steel. The heating sources 272a-b are disposed in the source region 227, and the heating source 272c is disposed in the evaporation region 228. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the heating sources 272a-b disposed in the source region 227 are conductively coupled to the evaporator body 212 and thus conductively heat the evaporator body 212. In one implementation that can be combined with other implementations, the heat sources 272a-b can be conductively coupled to the evaporator body 212 via heat source mounts 410a-b, as depicted in FIG. 4 . The heat source mounts 410a-b can be made of any suitable thermally conductive material. In one implementation that can be combined with other implementations, the heat source mounts 410a-b can be made of the same material as the evaporator body 212 and / or the tubes 271a-c. In another implementation, the heat source mounts 410a-b are made of a thermally conductive material that is different from the thermally conductive material of the evaporator body 212. The heat source 272c, located in the evaporation region, provides radiant heat. In one implementation that can be combined with other implementations, as depicted in FIG. 4 , the heat source 272c is not conductively coupled to the evaporator body 212. The combination of radiant heat from heating source 272c and conductive heat from heating sources 272a-b helps to provide uniform heating to the inner surface 214i, or evaporation surface, of the evaporator body 212, which helps to reduce cooling of the inner surface 214i, which can adversely affect the evaporation rate of the coating material.

[0047]

[0058] 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of yet another cylindrical evaporation assembly 500 according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. The cylindrical evaporation assembly 500 can be used in place of the cylindrical thermal evaporation assembly 140 depicted in FIG. 1. The evaporator body 212 defines an opening 516 through which evaporated coating material travels to the nozzle assembly body 502. The opening 516 defines a surface area for evaporation. The cylindrical wall 214 defines the opening 516 having a first width "W1." The opening 516 provides a surface area for evaporation.

[0048]

[0059] The cylindrical evaporation assembly 500 further includes a nozzle assembly body 502 disposed along the cylindrical wall 214. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the nozzle assembly body 502 has an opening aligned with an opening 516 defined by the cylindrical wall 214. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the nozzle assembly body 502 is disposed adjacent to or in contact with the cylindrical wall 214. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the nozzle assembly body 502 has a sidewall 502s that flares outward from the opening 516 having a width "W1" to a top surface 502t of the nozzle assembly body 502 having a width "W2." In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the nozzle assembly body 502 has a conical shape. Any suitable shape of the nozzle assembly body can be used. This increased surface area contributes to reducing the condensation heat load per unit area.

[0049]

[0060] The nozzle assembly body 502 is fluidly coupled to the linear array of nozzles 248a-248e (collectively 248). The cylindrical evaporation assembly 500 further includes a plurality of heating sources 272a-c. Heating source 272a is disposed in source region 227, and heating sources 272b and 272c are disposed in evaporation region 228. The heating sources 272a-c are conductively coupled to the evaporation body 212 and thus conductively heat the evaporation body 212. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the heating sources 272a-c can be conductively coupled to the evaporation body 212 via heating source mounts 410a-c, as depicted in FIG. 5.

[0050]

[0061] In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the cylindrical evaporative assembly 500 further includes an insulating material 520. The insulating material 520 surrounds at least a portion of the evaporator body 212. For example, as depicted in FIG. 5 , the insulating material 520 covers a portion of the cylindrical wall 214, the first side wall 220a, and the second side wall 220b. The insulating material 520 reduces radiant heat emission from the evaporator body 212. Any suitable insulating material 520 can be used. Examples of the insulating material 520 include, but are not limited to, polyetheretherketone (PEEK).

[0051]

[0062] In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the cylindrical evaporative assembly 500 further includes one or more reflectors 530a-b (collectively 530), as depicted in FIG. 5. The reflectors 530a-b reduce radiative heat loss from the evaporator body 212. The reflectors 530a-b reflect a majority of the energy depending on the emissivity and reflectivity of the material. The reflectors 530a-b include a back surface 532b facing the evaporator body 212 and an opposing front surface 532f facing the continuous flexible substrate 108. At least one of the back surface 532b and the front surface 532f is highly polished to a mirror finish to maximize the heat-shielding function of the reflectors 530a-b. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the back surfaces 532b of the reflectors 530a-b within the line of sight of the evaporator body 212 are highly polished to a mirror finish. In one implementation, reflectors 530a-b are formed from stainless steel and first machined to a smoothness of, for example, 34Ra. Back surface 532b and front surface 532f are then mechanically polished to improve the smoothness, for example, to 8Ra. Finally, these surfaces are electropolished and then chemically polished to a smoothness of 2Ra, giving reflectors 530a-b a highly glossy, mirror-like finish. While reflectors 530a-b are described as being formed from stainless steel, it is recognized that other materials may be used. Generally, it is preferable to use high-reflectivity, low-emissivity metals such as aluminum, gold, or silver. These high-reflectivity metals can be coated onto reflectors formed from other metals.

[0052]

[0063] The reflectors 530a-b may include or be formed from a metal, such as copper. The reflectors 530a-b may be polished. In some implementations, which can be combined with other implementations, the back surfaces 532b of the reflectors 530a-b are polished. The inventors have found that polishing one or more reflectors 530a-b on the back surfaces 532b minimizes radiative heat loss from the evaporator body 212 and therefore reduces the heat load on the web substrate. When the reflectors 530a-b are heated, their emissivity typically changes. The inventors have found that exposing the reflectors to mechanical polishing followed by electrolytic polishing reduces the emissivity of the reflectors 530a-b.

[0053]

[0064] Figure 6A is a partial perspective view of an evaporation assembly 600 according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. Figure 6B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the evaporation assembly 600 of Figure 6A according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure. The evaporation assembly 600 can be used in place of the cylindrical thermal evaporation assembly 140 depicted in Figure 1. The use of the evaporation assembly 600 is particularly beneficial in implementations where the evaporation assembly 600 is tilted, for example, in implementations where the evaporation assembly 600 is disposed around the coating drum 110 shown in Figure 1.

[0054]

[0065] The evaporation assembly 600 is designed to hold and evaporate a coating material to be evaporated, such as a metal or metal alloy. The evaporation assembly 600 includes an evaporation body 612 for holding and evaporating the coating material to be deposited. The evaporation body 612 defines an interior area 613. In at least one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the interior area is approximately 18,500 mm 2 Approximately 42,840 mm from 2The evaporator body 612 defines a surface area in the range of 0.1 mm. The evaporator body 612 includes a cylindrical portion 614 and an evaporator portion 616. The evaporator portion 616 includes a nozzle plate 620. The nozzle plate 620 further includes a plurality of nozzles 648 fluidly coupled to the interior region 613 and operable to deliver vaporized coating material. Although the cylindrical portion 614 is shown as a cylindrical body, other suitable shapes for the cylindrical portion 614 are also contemplated. The cylindrical portion 614 includes a cylindrical wall 622 defining an opening 624 through which the vaporized coating material can travel into the evaporator portion 616 of the evaporator body 612. The evaporator body 612 further includes a first sidewall (not shown) and a second sidewall (not shown) opposite the first sidewall. Referring to FIG. 6A , the pair of opposing sidewalls, the cylindrical portion 614, and the evaporator portion 616 define the interior region 613 for holding the material to be evaporated. The interior region 613 includes a source region 627 and an evaporation region 628. The source region 627 is operable to hold the coating material to be evaporated / deposited in a molten and / or liquid state and to heat and evaporate the material. The coating material to be evaporated / deposited can be supplied to the source region 627 of the evaporator body 612 from an external source. The evaporation region 628 is heated to maintain the evaporated source material in a gas phase.

[0055]

[0066] The interior region 613 further includes one or more heating sources. The source region 627 includes one or more heating sources 272a. While a single heating source 272a is shown in the source region 627 in FIGS. 6B-6B, any number of heating sources can be used to maintain / heat the source material at a predetermined temperature. The heating source 272a is used to heat and evaporate the coating material to be deposited. The heating source 272a can be immersed or partially immersed in the material to be evaporated. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the heating source 272a is a cylindrical heater, such as a heating rod. The heating source 272a can extend from the first sidewall 220a to the second sidewall 220b of the evaporator body 612. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the heating source 272a is coupled to the evaporator body 612 via a heating source mount 410. The heat source mount 410 can be constructed of any suitable thermally conductive material. In some implementations, the heat source mount 410 can be constructed of the same material as the evaporator body 612. In other implementations, the heat source mount 410 is constructed of a thermally conductive material that is different from the thermally conductive material of the evaporator body 612.

[0056]

[0067] The interior region 613 can include any number of heating sources 272a-e (collectively 272). The evaporation region 628 further includes one or more heating sources 272a-b for maintaining the evaporated coating material from the source region 227 in a vaporized state. While four heating sources 272b-e are shown in the evaporation region 628 in FIG. 2B , any number of heating sources can be used to maintain / heat the source material at a target temperature. The heating sources 272b-e are used to maintain the evaporated coating material from the source region 627 in a vaporized state. As shown in FIG. 6B , the heating sources 272c-e can be positioned adjacent to the nozzle plate 620. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the heating sources 272a-e are cylindrical heaters, such as heating rods. The heating sources 272a-e can extend from a first sidewall to a second sidewall of the vaporizer body 612.

[0057]

[0068] The evaporator body 612 can be formed of a material with high thermal conductivity, such as molybdenum, graphite, stainless steel, or boron nitride. In one example, the evaporator body 612 is constructed of pyrolytic boron nitride.

[0058]

[0069] In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the evaporator body 612 is machined from a single piece of material. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the evaporator body 612 is formed from multiple parts joined together. Any suitable joining technique can be used to join the multiple parts together. For example, the nozzle plate 620 can be welded or bolted to the rest of the evaporator body 612. The side walls 220a-b can be bolted to the cylindrical wall 214. For example, the nozzle plate 620 can be welded to the rest of the evaporator body 612.

[0059]

[0070] Evaporation assembly 600 further includes a linear array of nozzles 648a-648h (collectively 648) arranged along nozzle plate 620. One or more nozzles in linear array of nozzles 648 deliver vaporized coating material from interior region 613 toward the web on which the vaporized coating material is deposited. One or more nozzles in linear array of nozzles 648 include an opening defined by a diameter. The nozzle opening can be any diameter sufficient to deliver the vaporized coating material at a target vapor pressure. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, one or more nozzles or linear array of nozzles 648 have an opening defined by a diameter of about 1.2 millimeters to about 5 millimeters, for example, about 4 millimeters to about 4.5 millimeters.

[0060]

[0071] FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an evaporation system 700 incorporating the cylindrical evaporation assembly of FIG. 5. The evaporation system 700 includes a frame 710 for holding one or more cylindrical evaporator assemblies. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the frame 710 holds a pair of cylindrical evaporation assemblies 500a, 500b (collectively 500). In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the frame 710 defines one or more cooling channels 720a, 720b for containing a cooling fluid for cooling the frame 710 and the cylindrical evaporator assemblies 500a, 500b. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the evaporation assembly 700 further includes one or more containment shields 730a, 730b (collectively 730). The containment shields 730 may be part of the frame 710 or may be separate from the frame 710. The number of containment shields 730 typically corresponds to the number of cylindrical evaporator assemblies 500 disposed on the frame 710. The containment shields 730 disposed between the cylindrical thermal evaporator assemblies and the coating drum 110 define deposition zones 120a, 120b (collectively 120). The containment shields 730 define the deposition zones 120 to confine the vaporized coating material 122a, 122b (collectively 122) to be deposited. In one implementation, which can be combined with other implementations, the containment shields 730 are heated to re-evaporate lithium from the surfaces of one or more of the containment shields 730a-b.

[0061]

[0072] A method for evaporating a coating material for coating a continuous flexible substrate during operation is provided. The method includes supplying a quantity of the coating material to be evaporated to a source region of a thermal evaporator. The thermal evaporator includes an evaporator body operable to hold and evaporate the coating material to be deposited. The evaporator body includes a cylindrical wall having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, a first sidewall perpendicular to and coupled to the first end of the cylindrical wall, and a second sidewall perpendicular to and coupled to the second end of the cylindrical wall. The cylindrical wall, the first sidewall, and the second sidewall define an interior region. The interior region includes a source region operable to hold and evaporate the coating material to be deposited and an evaporation region that is heated to maintain the evaporated coating material to be deposited in a gas phase. The thermal evaporator further includes one or more first heating sources disposed in the source region and extending from the first sidewall to the second sidewall along a first direction, and one or more second heating sources disposed in the evaporation region and extending from the first sidewall to the second sidewall along the first direction. The thermal evaporator further includes a linear array of nozzles fluidly coupled to the interior region through the cylindrical wall and operable to deliver vaporized coating material. The method further includes heating the coating material to be deposited to a predetermined temperature using the one or more first heating sources in the source region to vaporize the deposited coating material. The method further includes maintaining the vaporized coating material in vapor form by exposing the vaporized coating material to one or more second heating sources. The method further includes confining the vaporized coating material in a deposition zone and moving a continuous flexible substrate through the deposition zone to coat the substrate with the vaporized coating material from the thermal evaporator. The method, wherein a thermal evaporator and a deposition zone are disposed within a vacuum chamber to evaporate and deposit a coating material onto a substrate in a vacuum environment.a method wherein the evaporated coating material is selected from lithium, sodium, selenium, magnesium, zinc, cadmium, aluminum, gallium, indium, thallium, tin, lead, antimony, bismuth, and tellurium, alkaline earth metals, silver, or combinations thereof; a method wherein the continuous flexible substrate comprises a polymeric material; a method wherein the continuous flexible substrate comprises a metal.

[0062]

[0073] Implementations may include one or more of the following potential advantages: The described thermal evaporator includes a cylindrical evaporator design, enabling faster evaporation rates while significantly reducing the heat load on the web substrate. The disclosed cylindrical evaporator design eliminates the external crucible heater found in currently available evaporator designs. Eliminating the external crucible heater reduces power consumption and the heat load on the web substrate. The disclosed high-speed cylindrical evaporator design minimizes heat loss. The high-speed cylindrical evaporator design is insensitive to tilt angles relative to the substrate. Furthermore, due to the low heat load of the cylindrical evaporator design, wrinkling of the web substrate is significantly reduced. The described thermal evaporator design can use alkali metals and metal alloys at relatively low temperatures with very fast, uniform evaporation rates. The described thermal evaporator design enables roll-to-roll processing using thin metal substrates at sufficiently low tension and high web speeds. This low tension helps reduce wrinkling of the thin metal substrate because it preserves the tensile strength of the thin metal substrate. The low evaporation heat budget also minimizes substrate cooling requirements and allows for rapid evaporator ramp-up and ramp-down, improving production tool yields.

[0063]

[0074] Specific features (including method steps) of the present disclosure are described in the summary, detailed description, claims, and accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the disclosure herein includes all possible combinations of such specific features. For example, if a particular feature is disclosed in the context of a particular aspect or implementation of the present disclosure or a particular claim, that feature can also be used, to the extent possible, in combination with and / or in the context of other specific aspects and implementations of the disclosure, and throughout the disclosure generally.

[0064]

[0075] The term "comprises" and its grammatical equivalents are used to mean that other elements, components, operations, etc. are optionally present. For example, an article "comprising" or "which comprises" elements A, B, and C can consist of elements A, B, and C (i.e., contain only elements A, B, and C), or it can include elements A, B, and C as well as one or more other elements.

[0065]

[0076] When a method including two or more defined actions is referred to, the defined actions may be performed in any order or simultaneously (unless the context precludes this), and the method may include one or more other actions performed before any defined action, between two defined actions, or after all defined actions (unless the context precludes this).

[0066]

[0077] According to some implementations, evaporation processes and evaporation apparatuses are provided for layer deposition on substrates, e.g., flexible substrates. Accordingly, flexible substrates can be considered to include, among other things, films, foils, webs, strips of plastic material, metal, or other materials. Typically, terms such as "web," "foil," "strip," and "substrate" are used interchangeably. According to some implementations, components for evaporation processes, apparatuses for evaporation processes, and evaporation processes according to the described implementations can be provided for the aforementioned flexible substrates. However, they can also be provided in combination with non-flexible substrates, such as glass substrates, that undergo a reactive deposition process from an evaporation source.

[0067]

[0078] The implementations and all functional operations described herein can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware (including the structural means disclosed herein and their structural equivalents), or in combinations of these. The described implementations can be implemented as one or more non-transitory computer program products, i.e., one or more computer programs tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage device for execution by, or to control the operation of, a data processing apparatus, e.g., a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple processors or computers.

[0068]

[0079] The processes and logic flows described herein may be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform functions by operating on input data and generating output. These processes and logic flows may also be performed by, and devices may be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0069]

[0080] Computer-readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, media, and memory devices, including, by way of example, semiconductor memory devices (such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices), magnetic disks (such as internal hard disks or removable disks), magneto-optical disks, and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

[0070]

[0081] When introducing elements of the present disclosure or example aspects or implementations thereof, the articles "a," "an," "the," and "said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements.

[0071]

[0082] The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.

[0072]

[0083] While the foregoing is directed to implementations of the present disclosure, other and further implementations of the present disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, the scope of which is determined by the claims that follow.

Claims

1. 1. A thermal evaporator comprising: an evaporator body operable to hold and evaporate coating material to be deposited, a cylindrical wall having a first end and a second end opposite the first end; a first sidewall perpendicular to and coupled to the first end of the cylindrical wall; an evaporator body including a second sidewall perpendicular to and coupled to the second end of the cylindrical wall, the cylindrical wall, the first sidewall, and the second sidewall defining an interior region, the interior region having a source region operable to hold and evaporate a coating material to be deposited, and an evaporation region operable to heat the evaporated coating material to maintain it in a gas phase; one or more first heating sources disposed in the source region and extending along a first direction from the first sidewall to the second sidewall; one or more second heating sources disposed in the evaporation region and extending along the first direction from the first sidewall to the second sidewall; a linear array of nozzles fluidly coupled to the interior region through the cylindrical wall and operable to deliver the vaporized coating material; a thermal evaporator.

2. The thermal evaporator of claim 1 , wherein the evaporator body comprises a material selected from molybdenum, graphite, stainless steel, boron nitride, or combinations thereof.

3. The thermal evaporator of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more first heating sources and the one or more second heating sources comprises a heating rod.

4. 4. The thermal evaporator of claim 3, wherein the heating rod is disposed in a tube extending along the first direction from the first end of the cylindrical wall to the second end of the cylindrical wall, the tube comprising a thermally conductive material.

5. The thermal evaporator of claim 4 , wherein the one or more second heating sources are conductively coupled to the evaporator body via a source mount, the source mount comprising the same material as the evaporator body.

6. The thermal evaporator of claim 3 , wherein the one or more second heating sources are disposed adjacent to the linear array of nozzles.

7. The thermal evaporator of claim 1 , wherein the linear array of nozzles extends along the first direction from the first sidewall to the second sidewall.

8. 10. The thermal evaporator of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more first heating sources and the one or more second heating sources comprises a material selected from graphite, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, boron nitride, and titanium diboride.

9. 1. A system for coating a substrate by evaporating a coating material in a vacuum chamber, comprising:

1. A thermal evaporator comprising: an evaporator body operable to hold and evaporate coating material to be deposited, a cylindrical wall having a first end and a second end opposite the first end; a first sidewall perpendicular to and coupled to the first end of the cylindrical wall; an evaporator body including a second sidewall perpendicular to and coupled to the second end of the cylindrical wall, the cylindrical wall, the first sidewall, and the second sidewall defining an interior region, the interior region having a source region operable to hold and evaporate a coating material to be deposited, and an evaporation region operable to heat the evaporated coating material to maintain it in a gas phase; one or more first heating sources disposed in the source region and extending along a first direction from the first sidewall to the second sidewall; one or more second heating sources disposed in the evaporation region and extending along the first direction from the first sidewall to the second sidewall; a linear array of nozzles fluidly coupled to the interior region through the cylindrical wall and operable to deliver the vaporized coating material; a thermal evaporator including: at least one containment shield disposed about the thermal evaporator, the containment shield defining a deposition zone for containing the vaporized coating material being deposited; a coating drum for supporting a continuous flexible substrate to be coated in said deposition zone; a vacuum chamber in which the thermal evaporator, the at least one containment shield, and the coating drum are disposed; Including, the system.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the evaporator body comprises a material selected from molybdenum, graphite, stainless steel, boron nitride, or combinations thereof.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the one or more first heating sources and the one or more second heating sources comprises a heating rod.

12. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the heating rod is disposed within a tube extending along the first direction from the first end of the cylindrical wall to the second end of the cylindrical wall, the tube comprising a thermally conductive material.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the one or more second heating sources are conductively coupled to the evaporator body via a source mount, the source mount comprising the same material as the evaporator body.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more second heating sources are positioned adjacent to the linear array of nozzles.

15. The system of claim 9 , wherein the linear array of nozzles extends along the first direction from the first sidewall to the second sidewall.

16. 1. A method for evaporating a coating material for coating a continuous flexible substrate, comprising: providing a quantity of coating material to be evaporated to a source region of a thermal evaporator, said thermal evaporator comprising: an evaporator body operable to hold and evaporate the coating material to be deposited, a cylindrical wall having a first end and a second end opposite the first end; a first sidewall perpendicular to and coupled to the first end of the cylindrical wall; an evaporator body including a second sidewall perpendicular to and coupled to the second end of the cylindrical wall, the cylindrical wall, the first sidewall, and the second sidewall defining an interior region, the interior region having the source region operable to hold and evaporate the coating material to be deposited, and an evaporation region operable to heat the evaporated coating material to maintain it in a gas phase; one or more first heating sources disposed in the source region and extending along a first direction from the first sidewall to the second sidewall; one or more second heating sources disposed in the evaporation region and extending along the first direction from the first sidewall to the second sidewall; a linear array of nozzles fluidly coupled to the interior region through the cylindrical wall and operable to deliver vaporized coating material; Including, To supply and heating the coating material to be deposited to a predetermined temperature using the one or more first heating sources in the source region to vaporize the coating material to be deposited; maintaining the vaporized coating material in vapor form by exposing the vaporized coating material to the one or more second heat sources; confining the vaporized coating material in a deposition zone; moving a continuous flexible substrate through the deposition zone to coat the substrate with the vaporized coating material from the thermal evaporator; A method comprising:

17. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the thermal evaporator and deposition zone are disposed within a vacuum chamber to evaporate and deposit the coating material onto a substrate in a vacuum environment.

18. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the evaporated coating material is selected from lithium, sodium, selenium, magnesium, zinc, cadmium, aluminum, gallium, indium, thallium, tin, lead, antimony, bismuth, and tellurium, alkaline earth metals, silver, or combinations thereof.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the continuous flexible substrate comprises a polymeric material.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the continuous flexible substrate comprises a metal.

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