Organic light-emitting diode deposition equipment

Abstract

The present invention relates to a deposition apparatus for organic light emitting diodes, and more particularly to a deposition apparatus for organic light emitting diodes that shortens the evaluation time of deposition materials by independently maintaining deposition materials through an auxiliary chamber.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims the benefit of the filing date of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0154758, filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on November 18, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a deposition apparatus for organic light emitting diodes, and more particularly to a deposition apparatus for organic light emitting diodes that shortens the evaluation time of deposition materials by independently maintaining deposition materials through an auxiliary chamber. [Background technology]

[0003] An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is an active light-emitting device that has an organic film between two electrodes spaced apart from each other. When current flows through the two electrodes, electrons and holes supplied from the two electrodes combine in the organic film to generate light. OLEDs are thin and lightweight, have high brightness, and consume low power, and are used in a variety of fields. OLEDs are particularly popular as next-generation displays and can also be used as lighting devices that emit white and monochrome light.

[0004] To fabricate an OLED, a process for forming an organic thin film and a process for forming a conductive thin film are required, and evaporation deposition is mainly used for such thin film formation processes. Organic thin films are mainly produced by passing an electric current through a hot wire surrounding a crucible containing low molecular weight organic material, and the heat transferred to the crucible raises the temperature of the organic material inside the crucible. As the temperature of the organic material rises, the organic material leaves the crucible in a gaseous form and is deposited on a substrate. OLED evaporators have been used to produce organic thin films using this thermal evaporation method.

[0005] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional OLED evaporator.

[0006] Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional OLED evaporator has a substrate S located at the top, an OLED evaporator source that heats and evaporates source material to deposit it on the substrate S at the bottom, and a thickness measurement sensor that measures the thickness of the thin film deposited on the substrate.

[0007] The OLED deposition source includes a crucible containing an organic material as a source material, a heating means wrapped around the crucible to electrically heat the crucible, and a nozzle unit including a plurality of nozzles with spray holes for spraying the source material evaporated from the crucible by the heating means.

[0008] Conventional OLED deposition equipment contains all deposition materials in one reaction chamber, and every time the evaporation source is replaced, the vacuum inside the chamber must be released, new evaporation material must be installed, and the chamber must be vacuumed again before a dummy process can be carried out, which results in long deposition and evaluation times.

[0009] Therefore, there is a need for a method for improving an organic light emitting diode deposition apparatus that can reduce the time required to evaluate or deposit a portion of the total deposition material. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] The present invention has been devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a deposition apparatus for organic light-emitting diodes that includes a plurality of auxiliary chambers that contain deposition materials and can be independently maintained, thereby shortening the evaluation time of the deposition material when the deposition material is partially deposited. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The deposition apparatus for organic light-emitting diodes according to the present invention includes a main chamber for depositing and evaluating a material; an auxiliary chamber connected to the main chamber and into which a deposition material to be deposited is loaded; and a heating unit for heating the deposition material loaded into the auxiliary chamber.

[0012] In one embodiment, the heating unit includes a bellows connecting the auxiliary chamber and the heating unit.

[0013] In one embodiment, the auxiliary chamber includes a loading unit that loads the deposition material into a cell of the main chamber.

[0014] In one embodiment, the loading unit further includes a gate valve for controlling the movement of the deposition material.

[0015] In one embodiment, the apparatus further includes a vacuum unit that creates a vacuum inside the auxiliary chamber.

[0016] In one embodiment, the auxiliary chamber is located below the main chamber.

[0017] In one embodiment, the auxiliary chamber includes an opening / closing portion on one side for loading and unloading the deposition material.

[0018] In one embodiment, the opening and closing part further includes a compression member for maintaining the atmosphere inside the auxiliary chamber.

[0019] In one embodiment, the auxiliary chamber and the heating section are movable.

[0020] In one embodiment, the device further includes a motor for compressing and relaxing the bellows. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] According to the present invention, when a deposition material is partially deposited by including a plurality of auxiliary chambers that contain the deposition material and can be independently maintained, the evaluation time of the deposition material can be shortened. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional OLED evaporator. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view illustrating a deposition apparatus for an organic light emitting diode according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of part A in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 1(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the auxiliary chamber, the heating unit, and the bellows before the heating unit is activated, and FIG. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the auxiliary chamber and the heating unit when the heating unit is activated. [Explanation of symbols]

[0023] 100 Organic light-emitting diode deposition apparatus 10 Main Chamber 20 Auxiliary chamber 21 Road Section 21a 2-stage road section 21b: Road section 1 22 Gate valve 23 Opening and closing section 24...Vacuum section 25 Vacuum valve 30...Heating part 40 Bellows DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] The detailed description of the present invention is intended to fully explain the present invention to those skilled in the art. Throughout the specification, when a part is described as "comprising" a certain element or "featuring" a certain structure and shape, this does not mean that other elements, structures, and shapes are excluded, but that other elements, structures, and shapes may be included, unless otherwise specified to the contrary.

[0025] Since the present invention can be modified in various ways and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments will be presented and described in detail in the detailed description, but this is not intended to limit the content of the invention by the examples, and it should be understood that all modifications, equivalents, or alternatives within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention are encompassed.

[0026] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an organic light-emitting diode deposition apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of part A in FIG. 2, FIG. 4(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the auxiliary chamber 20, the heating unit 30, and the bellows 40 before the heating unit 30 is activated, and FIG. 4(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the auxiliary chamber 20 and the heating unit 30 when the heating unit 30 is activated.

[0027] The deposition apparatus 100 for organic light-emitting diodes according to the present invention includes a main chamber 10 and a deposition source A. The deposition source A includes an auxiliary chamber 20, a heating unit 30, and a bellows 40, and is characterized in that the deposition material is independently separated.

[0028] The main chamber 10 is configured to deposit a deposition material onto a substrate and may include a substrate support on which the substrate is placed. The main chamber 10 is preferably provided with a vacuum atmosphere inside to deposit the deposition material onto the substrate. Therefore, the vacuum atmosphere in the main chamber 10 can be separately controlled by a vacuum / atmospheric pressure control valve.

[0029] The main chamber 10 may include a plurality of cells (not shown). The cells are connected to the loading section 21 of the auxiliary chamber 20, and can load deposition materials into the main chamber 10.

[0030] The auxiliary chamber 20 is connected to the main chamber 10 and configured to receive a deposition material to be deposited. Therefore, the auxiliary chamber 20 may include a container in which the deposition material is loaded, and the auxiliary chamber 20 may be located below the main chamber 10.

[0031] The auxiliary chamber 20 may be independently maintained to load the deposition material into the cells of the main chamber 10. That is, the deposition apparatus 100 for organic light-emitting diodes according to the present invention can independently maintain one deposition material using the auxiliary chamber 20. Here, the term "maintenance" refers to a process for performing a dummy process, in which the vacuum state of the auxiliary chamber 20 is vented, an evaporative material is loaded, and the interior of the auxiliary chamber 20 is again evacuated, and then the dummy process is performed. The dummy process involves heating the auxiliary chamber 20 to remove impurities from the interior of the auxiliary chamber 20, stabilizing the vacuum, and vaporizing the deposition material.

[0032] Therefore, the auxiliary chamber 20 may include a loading unit 21 (LTC) for loading the deposition material into the cells of the main chamber 10. The loading unit 21 connects the auxiliary chamber 20 and the main chamber 10 and may be located above the auxiliary chamber 20. That is, the loading unit 21 is coupled to the cells in the main chamber 10 to load the deposition material into the main chamber 10.

[0033] In one embodiment, the loading unit 21 may be provided in two stages. In this case, when the retracted portion of the two stages of the loading unit 21 is the second stage 21a, the loading unit 21 may be provided with only the first stage 21b when the main chamber 10 and the auxiliary chamber 20 are not connected. When a dummy process is performed, the second stage 21a of the loading unit 21 may protrude and be retracted into the cell of the main chamber 10, connecting the main chamber 10 and the auxiliary chamber 20.

[0034] The auxiliary chamber 20 may further include a gate valve 22 for controlling the deposition material moving through the load unit 21. The gate valve 22 may also separate the internal atmosphere of the auxiliary chamber 20 from the internal atmosphere of the main chamber 10.

[0035] The gate valve 22 may be located midway through the load section 21. The gate valve 22 is preferably closed before the load section 21 is connected to the cell in the main chamber 10.

[0036] The auxiliary chamber 20 may further include an opening / closing part 23 on one side for loading and unloading the deposition material. That is, the deposition material can enter and exit the auxiliary chamber 20 through the opening / closing part 23, and the deposition material can be exchanged in a container within the auxiliary chamber 20.

[0037] Furthermore, the opening / closing part 23 may further include a compression member (not shown) to maintain the atmosphere inside the auxiliary chamber. The compression member may be located on the surface where the auxiliary chamber 20 and the opening / closing part 23 come into contact.

[0038] After the deposition material is loaded into the container, the internal atmosphere of the auxiliary chamber 20 must be the same as that of the main chamber 10. Therefore, the auxiliary chamber 20 may further include a vacuum unit 24 that creates a vacuum state inside. The deposition apparatus 100 for organic light-emitting diodes according to the present invention further includes a vacuum valve 25 between the auxiliary chamber 20 and the vacuum unit 24, so that the internal atmosphere of the auxiliary chamber 20 can be maintained and the vacuum unit 24 can be controlled.

[0039] The heating unit 30 heats the deposition material loaded in the auxiliary chamber 20. The heating unit 30 heats the auxiliary chamber 20 to a set temperature, thereby stabilizing the vacuum atmosphere inside the auxiliary chamber 20 and vaporizing the deposition material.

[0040] The heating unit 30 can be moved up and down to effectively transfer the generated heat to the auxiliary chamber 20 and to interrupt the dummy process.

[0041] In this case, the deposition apparatus 100 for organic light emitting diodes according to the present invention may further include bellows 40 connecting the auxiliary chamber 20 and the heating unit 30. The bellows 40 can move the heating unit 30 up and down through compression and tension. In addition, hot air generated from the heating unit 30 can be transferred to the auxiliary chamber 20 through the bellows 40.

[0042] In an embodiment, in the deposition apparatus 100 for organic light emitting diodes according to the present invention, when the bellows 40 is compressed and the heating unit 30 moves toward the auxiliary chamber 20, two stages of the load unit 21 may protrude and connect with the cells of the main chamber 10. At this time, the load unit 21 may protrude toward the main chamber 10 by the hot air and pressure heated by the heating unit 30.

[0043] Furthermore, the deposition apparatus 100 for organic light-emitting diodes according to the present invention may further include a motor (not shown) for compressing and relaxing the bellows 40 .

[0044] The deposition apparatus 100 for organic light emitting diodes according to the present invention may include one or more auxiliary chambers 20 and heating units 30. For example, when depositing three deposition materials, different deposition materials may be loaded into the three auxiliary chambers 20, respectively, and maintenance may be performed.

[0045] In another embodiment, the auxiliary chamber 20 and the heating unit 30 are movable. In this case, the organic light-emitting diode deposition apparatus 100 may further include a support unit that can support the auxiliary chamber 20 and the heating unit 30 under the main chamber 10, and a rail that guides the movement path, so that the auxiliary chamber 20 and the heating unit 30 can move along the position of the cell in the main chamber 10.

[0046] Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations of the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. a main chamber containing multiple cells for depositing materials and for depositing and evaluating the materials; an auxiliary chamber connected to the main chamber and into which a deposition material to be deposited is loaded; a heating unit that heats the deposition material loaded in the auxiliary chamber to vaporize the deposition material; and Bellows connecting the auxiliary chamber and the heating unit Including, The auxiliary chamber comprises: a loading unit configured to load the vaporized deposition material into the plurality of cells of the main chamber; The bellows transfers the hot air generated from the heating unit to the auxiliary chamber.

2. The loading unit The deposition apparatus for organic light-emitting diodes according to claim 1 , further comprising a gate valve for controlling the movement of the deposition material.

3. The deposition apparatus for organic light-emitting diodes according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a vacuum section for creating a vacuum inside the auxiliary chamber.

4. The auxiliary chamber comprises: The deposition apparatus for organic light-emitting diodes according to claim 1 , wherein the deposition apparatus is located below the main chamber.

5. The auxiliary chamber comprises: The deposition apparatus for organic light emitting diodes according to claim 1 , further comprising an opening / closing portion on one side for loading and unloading the deposition material.

6. The opening and closing section is The organic light-emitting diode deposition apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising a compression member for maintaining the atmosphere inside the auxiliary chamber.

7. The auxiliary chamber and the heating unit are The deposition apparatus for organic light-emitting diodes according to claim 1 , which is movable.

8. The organic light-emitting diode deposition apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a motor for compressing and relaxing the bellows.

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