Method of in-SITU inspection of a plurality of layers, vacuum deposition system, and substrate

Abstract

A method for in-situ inspection of a plurality of layers deposited on a substrate in a vacuum deposition system is described. The method includes: (1a) moving the substrate (10) and a first edge exclusion shield (100) past a first deposition source (51) to deposit a first material layer on the substrate, wherein the first edge exclusion shield (100) is moved in front of the substrate (10) on a first shield track (12) so that a first shielded region (121) of the substrate is shielded by the first edge exclusion shield (100); (1b) inspecting the first material layer (31); (2a) moving the substrate (10) and a second edge exclusion shield (100') past a second deposition source (52) to deposit a second material layer (32) on the substrate at least partially over the first material layer (31), wherein the second edge exclusion shield (100') is moved in front of the substrate (10) so that a second shielded region (122) of the substrate is shielded by the second edge exclusion shield (100'), the second shielded region being displaced relative to the first shielded region toward a first substrate edge (131) to expose a first substrate area (125) that is free of the first material layer; and (2b) inspecting the second material layer in the first substrate area (125). Further, a vacuum deposition system configured to carry out the in-situ inspection method is described.

Description

ZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOMETHOD OF IN-SITU INSPECTION OF A PLURALITY OF LAYERS, VACUUM DEPOSITION SYSTEM, AND SUBSTRATETECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods of inspecting a plurality of layers of a layer stack deposited on a substrate in a vacuum deposition system, particularly in an in-line deposition system. Embodiments further relate to a vacuum deposition system for carrying out an in-situ inspection method. The vacuum deposition systems described herein may be configured for the manufacture of display devices, particularly for OLED display manufacture, and more particularly for the formation of an OLED layer stack on essentially vertically oriented substrates.BACKGROUND

[0002] Organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) are a special type of lightemitting diode in which the emissive layer includes a thin film of certain organic compounds. OLEDs are used in the manufacture of television screens, computer monitors, mobile phones, other hand-held devices, etc. for displaying information. OLEDs can also be used for general space illumination. The range of colors and brightness possible with OLED displays is greater than that of traditional LCD displays because OLED material emits light directly. The energy consumption of OLED displays is considerably less than that of traditional LCD displays.

[0003] Furthermore, the fact that OLEDs can be manufactured onto flexible substrates allows for still further applications. An OLED display may include, for example, layers of organic material situated between two electrodes, for example electrodes made of a metallic material. The OLED is typically placed between two glass panels, and the edges of the glass panels are sealed to encapsulate the OLED therein. Alternatively, the OLED can be encapsulated with thin-film technology, e.g. with a barrier film.ZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WO

[0004] For manufacturing OLED devices but also for manufacturing other devices, a plurality of material layers is deposited on a substrate. The plurality of material layers can be deposited by a plurality of deposition sources, e.g. evaporation sources. Deposition sources may deposit different materials, such that the deposition sources have individual source conditions, e.g. for optimized substrate processing. The individual source conditions are beneficially monitored. For example, the thickness or uniformity of the layer(s) deposited by deposition sources is beneficially monitored. In particular, operation-condition monitoring can be provided during manufacture under production conditions. However, if a plurality of layers is deposited on top of each other to form a layer stack, e.g., an OLED layer stack, a reliable and accurate monitoring of the individual layers of the layer stack is challenging.

[0005] In light of the above, it would be beneficial to provide a method for monitoring and inspecting a plurality of layers in a vacuum deposition system, particularly for enabling a reliable in-situ inspection of a plurality of layers deposited on a substrate. Further, it would be beneficial to provide a vacuum deposition system configured to deposit a plurality of layers on a substrate that allows for a reliable in-situ inspection of a plurality of layers deposited on a substrate.SUMMARY

[0006] In light of the above, methods for in-situ inspection of a plurality of layers deposited on a substrate in a vacuum deposition system, a substrate manufactured according to the methods described herein, and a vacuum deposition system for coating a substrate with a plurality of layers are provided according to the independent claims. Advantageous further embodiments are subject matter of the dependent claims.

[0007] According to one aspect, a method for in-situ inspection of a plurality of layers of a layer stack deposited on a substrate in a vacuum deposition system is provided. The method includes: (1 a) moving the substrate and a first edge exclusion shield past a first deposition source to deposit a first materialZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOlayer on the substrate, wherein the first edge exclusion shield is moved in front of the substrate on a first shield track, so that a first shielded region of the substrate is shielded by the first edge exclusion shield; (1 b) inspecting the first material layer; (2a) moving the substrate and a second edge exclusion shield past a second deposition source to deposit a second material layer on the substrate at least partially over the first material layer, wherein the second edge exclusion shield is moved in front of the substrate, so that a second shielded region of the substrate is shielded by the second edge exclusion shield, the second shielded region being displaced relative to the first shielded region toward a first substrate edge to expose a first substrate area that is free of the first material layer; and (2b) inspecting the second material layer in the first substrate area.

[0008] According to one aspect, a substrate manufactured by any of the methods described herein is provided.

[0009] According to one aspect, a vacuum deposition system for coating a substrate with a plurality of layers is provided. The vacuum deposition system may be configured to carry out any of the inspection methods described herein. The vacuum deposition system includes: a first deposition source and at least a second deposition source; a substrate transportation track configured to move the substrate along a substrate transport path past the first deposition source for coating the substrate with a first material layer and past the second deposition source for coating the substrate with a second material layer; a first shield track between the substrate transportation track and the first deposition source and configured to move a first edge exclusion shield in front of the substrate for shielding a first shielded region of the substrate during the coating with the first material layer; a first inspection system downstream of the first deposition source and upstream of the second deposition source along the substrate transport path, the first inspection system configured for in-situ inspection of the first material layer; a second shield track between the substrate transportation track and the second deposition source and configured to move a second edge exclusion shield in front of the substrate for shielding aZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOsecond shielded region of the substrate during the coating with the second material layer, the second shielded region being displaced relative to the first shielded region toward a first substrate edge to expose a first substrate area that is free of deposited material; and a second inspection system downstream of the second deposition source along the substrate transport path and configured for in-situ inspection of the second material layer in the first substrate area.

[0010] According to one aspect, a vacuum deposition system for coating a substrate with a plurality of layers is provided. The vacuum deposition system may be configured to carry out any of the inspection methods described herein. The vacuum system includes a first deposition source and at least a second deposition source; a substrate transportation track for a substrate movement along a substrate transport path past the first deposition source for coating the substrate with a first material layer and past the second deposition source for coating the substrate with a second material layer; a first shield track between the substrate transportation track and the first deposition source for moving a first edge exclusion shield in front of the substrate past the first deposition source so that a first shielded region of the substrate is shielded; a second shield track between the substrate transportation track and the second deposition source for moving a second edge exclusion shield in front of the substrate past the second deposition source so that a second shielded region of the substrate is shielded; a first inspection system downstream of the first deposition source and upstream of the second deposition source along the substrate transport path for inspecting the first material layer, and a second inspection system downstream of the second deposition source and upstream of a third deposition source along the substrate transport path for inspecting the second material layer.

[0011] The vacuum deposition system may optionally further include a controller configured to move the substrate, the first edge exclusion shield and at least the second edge exclusion shield (and optional further edge exclusionZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOshields) in accordance with any of the layer inspection methods described herein.

[0012] The vacuum deposition system may further include any of the features described with respect to the inspections methods of the present disclosure. In particular, the vacuum deposition system may include a third deposition source for coating the substrate with a third material layer, and a third inspection system downstream of the third deposition source and upstream of a fourth deposition source along the substrate transport path for inspecting the third material layer.

[0013] Embodiments are also directed at systems for carrying out the disclosed methods and include system parts for performing each described method aspect. The method aspects may be performed by way of hardware components, a computer programmed by appropriate software, by any combination of the two or in any other manner. Furthermore, embodiments according to the disclosure are also directed at methods for operating the described systems. The methods for operating the described system include method aspects for carrying out every function of the apparatus. Embodiments are also directed at methods of manufacturing processed substrates, particularly coated substrates, in a vacuum deposition system described herein and substrates manufactured in accordance with the methods and / or using the systems described herein, such as OLED substrates.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] So that the manner in which the above recited features can be understood in detail, a more particular description, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments. The accompanying drawings relate to embodiments and are described in the following:Fig. 1 is a schematic top view of a vacuum deposition system according to embodiments described herein that isZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOconfigured to carry out one or more of the methods described herein;Fig. 2 is a schematic side view of a first, a second, and a third edge exclusion shield in front of a substrate for illustrating the method described herein;Fig. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a substrate manufactured according to any of the methods described herein; andFig. 4 is a schematic sectional view of a substrate and an edge exclusion shield during material deposition for illustrating the method described herein.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] Reference will now be made in detail to the various embodiments, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the figures. Within the following description of the drawings, the same reference numbers refer to same components. Generally, only the differences with respect to individual embodiments are described. Each example is provided by way of explanation and is not meant as a limitation. Further, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used on or in conjunction with other embodiments to yield yet a further embodiment. It is intended that the description includes such modifications and variations.

[0016] A process to manufacture OLED displays can include thermal evaporation and deposition of organic materials and / or metals on a substrate in a high vacuum environment. An OLED layer stack typically includes a plurality of layers deposited at least partially on top of each other. The layer stack may include, for example, at least some of the following layers: an anode layer, a hole injection layer (HIL), a hole transfer layer (HTL), one or more optically active layers that include an organic material, an electron transfer layer (ETL), an electron injection layer (EIL), a cathode layer, and / or one or moreZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOencapsulation layers. For example, six or more, or ten or more, particularly twenty or more layers may be deposited on a substrate, e.g., by thermal evaporation, to form an OLED layer stack of an OLED display.

[0017] The material layers can be deposited on the substrate with a plurality of deposition sources, particularly with evaporation sources. An evaporation source typically includes a crucible for evaporating a material to be deposited and a distribution pipe for directing the evaporated material onto the substrate through a plurality of nozzles. The substrate can be moved past a plurality of deposition sources in succession, so that a plurality of layers are deposited at least partially on top of each other on the substrate. An in-line deposition system can be provided, in which the substrates are moved along a substrate transport path past a plurality of deposition sources for coating the substrates with the layers of a layer stack.

[0018] An edge exclusion shield can be arranged in front of the substrate during the deposition for covering regions of the substrate that are not to be coated. In particular, the edge exclusion shield may be arranged in front of the substrate for covering one or more edge regions of the substrate during the material deposition. A shield that is provided to block evaporated material from reaching one or more edge regions of the substrate is referred to herein as an “edge exclusion shield” or “edge exclusion mask”. An edge exclusion shield is to be distinguished from a pixel mask with a plurality (>100.000) of small pixeldefining holes, which is also referred to as a fine metal mask (FMM).

[0019] The edge exclusion shield may be arranged in front of the substrate during the material deposition on the substrate by a deposition source. The edge exclusion shield may include a shielding frame, e.g., a shielding frame with a rectangular main opening that defines a “device region” of the substrate that is to be coated with devices, such as pixels, the shielding frame being configured to cover one or more substrate edges during material deposition. Edge exclusion shields with a shielding frame that surrounds a main opening that defines a device area are schematically depicted in Fig .2. Alternatively, anZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOedge exclusion shield can cover only one or some of the edge regions of the substrate and / or of the substrate carrier.

[0020] If the substrate is movable relative to the deposition sources for being coated in an in-line deposition process, the edge exclusion shield may be movable together with the substrate relative to the deposition source, for example, at least temporarily at the same velocity. In the latter case, the shield can also be referred to as a “movable shield”. A movable shield can mask the perimeter of a glass substrate, such as a rectangular glass substrate. The terms “edge exclusion shield”, “shield” and “moveable shield” may be used interchangeably to define an edge exclusion shield according to embodiments.

[0021] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to vacuum deposition systems, particularly in-line deposition systems for depositing a plurality of materials on a substrate that is moved through the deposition system along a substrate transport path past a plurality of deposition sources. One or more movable shields for in-line processing are provided. In some embodiments, each movable shield may be associated to a respective deposition source.

[0022] It is beneficial to monitor one or more properties of the deposited material layers, e.g., the thicknesses of the deposited material layers, to ensure that the manufactured layer stack meets predetermined expectations and to check that the deposition sources are set and aligned appropriately. Inspection of the entire layer stack after manufacturing is difficult, since the layer stack includes a plurality of material layers in a complex arrangement, so that the individual material layers of an OLED device are no longer accessible to inspection.

[0023] Different approaches are possible for enabling an individual inspection of deposited material layers:

[0024] (1 ) In a first possible approach, each material layer is deposited through a respective mask, e.g., a fine metal mask (FMM) that has a plurality of small openings for depositing individual pixels. The mask can be providedZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOwith a monitoring opening at a specific position so that, during the deposition of a material layer, a monitoring spot of the respective deposition material is deposited in an edge area of the substrate through the monitoring opening of the mask. Each mask may have a monitoring opening at a different relative position, so that after formation of the layer stack, a plurality of monitoring spots of different materials are formed on the substrate at different positions that can be individually inspected. However, if the mask is not in direct contact with the substrate during deposition, but is rather arranged at a distance from the substrate, the monitoring openings cause a considerable shadowing effect that leads to extended ramped edges of the monitoring spots. For example, due to a shadowing effect caused by a distance of 5 millimeters between a shield and the substrate, each monitoring spot may have a diameter of several centimeters. Therefore, a considerable part of the edge area of the substrate may be required for the monitoring spots, and the device area of the substrates that can be used for, e.g., pixels of the display, is reduced.

[0025] (2) In a second possible approach, a plurality of bare glass substrates can be used for inspecting a plurality of material layers. A first test substrate may be coated with a first material layer in the vacuum deposition system, and the first material layer is inspected afterwards individually. A second test substrate may be coated with a second material layer in the vacuum deposition system, and the second material layer is inspected afterwards individually. Accordingly, a plurality of test substrates is used for inspecting all layers of the layer stack in succession, such that the inspection of, e.g., more than ten layers is time-consuming and glass-consuming.

[0026] In view of the above, a different approach for individually inspecting the layers of a layer stack in-situ would be beneficial that is less time consuming and does not reduce the active device area of the substrates, even if the substrate and an edge exclusion shield are arranged at a distance from each other during the layer deposition, causing a shadowing effect.ZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WO

[0027] Referring now to Fig. 1 , a vacuum deposition system 1000 according to embodiments is schematically illustrated in a top view. The vacuum deposition system includes a first vacuum chamber 11 that houses a first deposition source 51 , a second vacuum chamber that houses a second deposition source 52, and optional further vacuum chambers for housing further deposition sources, e.g., a third deposition source 53. The deposition sources can be evaporation sources, particularly evaporation sources configured to coat vertically or essentially vertically oriented substrates that are moved past the deposition sources along a substrate transport path.

[0028] The first deposition source 51 may include at least one distribution pipe with a plurality of nozzles, wherein the plurality of nozzles may be arranged in an essentially vertically extending row. The first deposition source may, for example, include a line source for vertical substrate coating. The second deposition source 52 and optional further deposition sources may have a corresponding setup. The first deposition source 51 may be configured to deposit at least a first material on the substrate, and the second deposition source 52 may be configured to deposit at least a second material on the substrate. “A first material layer” as used herein can also encompass, e.g., a mixed material layer and / or two or more sub-layers of the first material layer that are deposited with two or more adjacent distribution pipes of the first deposition source. A plurality of different materials, that may include one or more metals and / or one or more organic materials, can be deposited subsequently on the substrate for providing a layer stack in a device region of the substrate, e.g., an OLED layer stack.

[0029] The vacuum deposition system 1000 includes a substrate transportation track 13 configured to move a substrate 10 in a transport direction T past the first deposition source 51 for coating the substrate with the first material layer 31 and past the second deposition source 52 for coating the substrate with the second material layer 32 at least partially over the first material layer 31. The substrate transportation track 13 may extend at least partially through the first vacuum chamber 11 and through further vacuumZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOchambers and may include a substrate transportation system configured for substrate transport, e.g., a roller transportation system, one or more linear motors and / or a magnetic levitation system suitable for moving the substrate relative to the deposition sources. The substrate can be carried by a substrate carrier 80 during the transport and layer deposition.

[0030] The vacuum deposition system 1000 further includes a first shield track 12 extending between the substrate transportation track 13 and the first deposition source 51 and at least a second shield track 12’ extending between the substrate transportation track 13 and the second deposition source 52. Optionally, a third shield track 12” may be provided between the third deposition source 53 and the substrate transportation track 13. The first shield track 12, the second shield track 12’ and optional further shield tracks may be connected tracks or may be separate tracks.

[0031] The first shield track 12 is configured to move a first edge exclusion shield 100 in the transport direction T in front of the substrate 10 for shielding one or more edge regions of the substrate 10 and / or for shielding at least parts of the substrate carrier 80 during the coating with the first material layer 31 . The second shield track 12’ is configured to move a second edge exclusion shield 100’ in the transport direction T in front of the substrate 10 for shielding one or more edge regions of the substrate 10 and / or for shielding at least parts of the substrate carrier 80 during the coating with the second material layer 32. Optional further shield tracks may be configured accordingly (a third shield track 12” is exemplarily shown in Fig .1 ).

[0032] The first edge exclusion shield 100 is movable along the first shield track 12 and may have a shielding frame for covering one or more edge regions of the substrate as described herein. The first shield track 12 may include a shield transportation system, e.g., a roller transportation system, one or more linear motors and / or a magnetic levitation system suitable to move the first edge exclusion shield 100 in front of the substrate 10, such that one or more edge regions of the substrate are covered during the coating with the first depositionZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOsource 51 , as is schematically depicted in FIG. 1. The second edge exclusion shield 100’ and the second shield track 12’ may be configured in accordance with the first edge exclusion shield 100 and the first shield track 12.

[0033] The first edge exclusion shield 100 may be movable back and forth on the first shield track 12 in the transport direction T, as is schematically indicated by arrows 14, such that subsequent substrates moved along the substrate transportation track 13 can be shielded by the first edge exclusion shield 100 during the coating with the first material layer 31 .

[0034] Specifically, the first edge exclusion shield 100 may be movable together with the substrate 10 relative to and past the first deposition source 51 . The first edge exclusion shield 100 can be moved at a (small) distance from and independently of the substrate 10 on the first shield track 12. The distance between the first edge exclusion shield 100 and the substrate 10 during the movement past the first deposition source 51 may be small, e.g., 20 mm or less, particularly 10 mm or less, in order to provide reliable shielding and to keep a shadowing effect relatively small. A “shadowing effect” that leads to shadow zones on the substrate occurs if the deposition material propagates at an angle toward the substrate and a gap is provided between the substrate and the shield, as is illustrated in Fig. 4 in further detail. In particular, an angled deposition direction may lead to a deposition of a ramped layer edge on substrate regions behind the shield and / or to a deposition of a ramped layer edge on uncovered substrate regions due to material blocking by edges of the shielding frame.

[0035] In embodiments described herein, the first edge exclusion shield 100 is not attached to or otherwise mounted at the substrate or at a substrate carrier, but the first edge exclusion shield is rather movable on a separate track independently of the substrate. Providing the first edge exclusion shield separate from the substrate is beneficial because an accumulation of different deposition materials on the first shield during a transport of the substrate past different deposition sources can be avoided. Accumulation of differentZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOdeposition materials on a shield that is fixed at the substrate can lead to material flaking and to other effects that may negatively affect the deposition quality. Therefore, in implementations described herein, the first edge exclusion shield 100 can remain in the first vacuum chamber 11 (e.g., moving back and forth on the first shield track 12, see arrows 14 in Fig. 1 ), even if the substrate is moved toward the second deposition source 52. Likewise, the second edge exclusion shield 100’ can remain in the second vacuum chamber, even if the substrate is moved toward the third deposition source 53. However, a movability of the edge exclusion shield independently of the substrate on a separate track results in a gap between the shield and the substrate and, therefore, leads to shadowing effects under an angled deposition.

[0036] An inspection method according to embodiments described herein is carried out in the vacuum deposition system 1000 as follows: As is shown in the left part of Fig. 1 (see (1 a)), the first edge exclusion shield 100 is placed on the first shield track in front of the substrate 10 so that a first shielded region 121 of the substrate is shielded by the first edge exclusion shield 100. The first shielded region 121 that is covered by the first edge exclusion shield 100 may extend parallel to a first substrate edge 131 , particularly parallel to and along the leading edge of the substrate. The first shielded region 121 may cover a substantial portion of the substrate (i.e. , not only an edge portion), in order to provide sufficient space for subsequent edge exclusion shields to be displaced toward the first substrate edge 131 relative to the first edge exclusion shield, as will be described further below.

[0037] The substrate 10 and the first edge exclusion shield 100 are moved past the first deposition source 51 to deposit the first material layer 31 on the substrate, e.g., at least temporarily at the same speed. The first edge exclusion shield 100 can be moved on the first shield track and the substrate can be moved on the substrate transportation track 13. Since the first shielded region 121 is covered by the first edge exclusion shield 100 during the material deposition, the first material layer 31 is not deposited in the first shielded regionZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WO121. In other words, the first edge exclusion shield 100 shields the first shielded region 121 of the substrate during the material deposition (see (1 a)).

[0038] After the deposition of the first material layer 31 , the first material layer is inspected (see (1 b)), particularly with a first inspection system 61 that is provided downstream of the first deposition source 51 and upstream of the second deposition source 52 in the vacuum deposition system. The inspection may include a measurement of a thickness of the first material layer 31 and / or a measurement of one or more properties of the first material layer 31. Accordingly, the first material layer 31 is inspected in-situ, particularly directly after deposition.

[0039] As is illustrated in Fig. 1 , after the inspection of the first material layer 31 , the substrate is moved toward the second deposition source 52 along the substrate transport path. A second edge exclusion shield 100’ is placed on the second shield track 12’ in front of the substrate 10 so that a second shielded region 122 of the substrate is shielded by the second edge exclusion shield 100’ (see (2a)). The second shielded region 122 is displaced relative to the first shielded region 121 toward the first substrate edge 131 to expose a first substrate area 125 that is free of the first material layer. In other words, the second edge exclusion shield 100’ is placed in front of the substrate to expose a region (“first substrate area 125”) that is free of previously deposited material(s) so that the second material layer 32 can be deposited at least partially directly on the substrate 10. The first shielded region 121 and the second shielded region 122 of the substrate may both be parallel to the first substrate edge 131 , but the second shielded region 122 may be shifted toward the first substrate edge 131 to expose a region (“first substrate area 125”) that was covered by the first edge exclusion shield 100 to prevent a material deposition thereon.

[0040] The shifting of the second shielded region 122 toward the first substrate edge 131 in relation to the first shielded region 121 by a “displacement distance D1” is illustrated in further detail in Fig. 2. The left partZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOof Fig. 2 shows the relative arrangement between the substrate 10 and the first edge exclusion shield 100 during the deposition of the first material layer 31 , and the middle part of Fig. 2 illustrates the relative arrangement between the substrate 10 and the second edge exclusion shield 100’ during the deposition of the second material layer 32. The first substrate area 125 that is free of the first material layer 31 is not covered by the second edge exclusion shield 100’, as can be seen in the middle part of Fig. 2.

[0041] Returning to Fig. 1 , the substrate 10 and the second edge exclusion shield 100’ are then moved at least temporarily synchronously past the second deposition source 52 to deposit the second material layer 32 on the substrate at least partially over the first material layer 31 . The second edge exclusion shield 100’ can be moved on the second shield track 12’ and the substrate 10 can be moved on the substrate transportation track 13. The second material is not deposited in the second shielded region 122 that is covered by the second edge exclusion shield 100’. In other words, the second edge exclusion shield 100’ shields the second shielded region 122 of the substrate during the material deposition (see (2a)).

[0042] Afterwards, the second material layer 32 is inspected in the first substrate area 125 (see (2b)), particularly with a second inspection system 62 that may be provided downstream of the second deposition source 52 and upstream of the third deposition source 53 along the substrate transport path in the vacuum deposition system. The inspection may include the measurement of a thickness of the second material layer 32 and / or a measurement of one or more further properties of the second material layer 32. Accordingly, the second material layer 32 can be inspected in-situ, particularly directly after deposition. As only the second material layer 32 is formed on the substrate in the first substrate area 125, the second material layer 32 can be inspected individually, enabling an accurate and reliable measurement result.

[0043] Optionally, as is schematically depicted in Fig. 1 , the substrate may be moved along the substrate transport path toward the third deposition source 53ZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOto be coated with a third material layer 33. A third edge exclusion shield 100” may be placed on a third shield track 12” in front of the substrate 10 so that a third shielded region 123 of the substrate is shielded by the third edge exclusion shield 100”. The third shielded region 123 may be parallel to the first and second shielded regions and extend along the first substrate edge 131 , but may be displaced relative to the second shielded region 122 toward the first substrate edge 131 to expose a second substrate area 126 that is free of the first and second material layers. In other words, the third edge exclusion shield 100” is placed in front of the substrate to expose a region (“second substrate area 126”) that is free of previously deposited material(s) so that the third material layer 33 can be deposited at least partially directly on the substrate 10.

[0044] The shifting of the third shielded region 123 toward the first substrate edge 131 in relation to the second shielded region 122 is illustrated in further detail in Fig. 2. The right part of Fig. 2 shows the relative arrangement between the substrate 10 and the third edge exclusion shield 100” during the deposition of the third material layer 33. The second substrate area 126 that is free of the first material layer 31 and is free of the second material layer 32 is not covered by the third edge exclusion shield 100” to enable a deposition of the third material directly on the substrate in the second substrate area 126, as is illustrated in the right part of Fig. 2.

[0045] Returning to Fig. 1 , the substrate 10 and the third edge exclusion shield 100” can then be moved past the third deposition source 53 to deposit the third material layer 33 on the substrate at least partially over the first and second material layers. The third material is not deposited in the third shielded region 123 that is covered by the third edge exclusion shield 100”. In other words, the third edge exclusion shield 100” shields the third shielded region 123 of the substrate during the material deposition (see (3a)).

[0046] Afterwards, the third material layer 33 is inspected in the second substrate area 126 (see (3b)), particularly with a third inspection system 63 that may be provided downstream of the third deposition source 53 and upstreamZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOof subsequent deposition sources along the substrate transport path in the vacuum deposition system. The inspection may include a measurement of a thickness of the third material layer 33 and / or a measurement of one or more further properties of the third material layer 33. Accordingly, the third material layer 33 can be inspected in-situ, particularly directly after deposition. As only the third material layer 33 is formed on the substrate in the second substrate area 126, the third material layer 33 can be inspected individually, enabling an accurate and reliable measurement result.

[0047] In some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, further material layers can be successively deposited on the layer stack in the vacuum deposition system, wherein each material layer can be individually inspected directly after the deposition of the respective material layer with a respective inspection system in the vacuum deposition system, i.e., in-situ. Each material layer may be inspected in a respective substrate area, in which the respective material layer is formed directly on the substrate, wherein the respective substrate area is free of other material layers. An accurate layer inspection of the individual material layers can hence be provided, while one single substrate is used for the inspection of the layer stack.

[0048] In some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the method particularly includes, with n being an integer with an initial value of 3: (3a) moving the substrate 10 and an nthedge exclusion shield past an nthdeposition source to deposit an nthmaterial layer on the substrate at least partially over the (n-1 )thmaterial layer, wherein the nthedge exclusion shield is moved in front of the substrate 10, particularly on an nthshield track spaced apart from the substrate transport track, so that an nthshielded region of the substrate is shielded by the nthedge exclusion shield, the nthshielded region being displaced relative to the (n-1 )thshielded region toward the first substrate edge 131 to expose an (n-1 )thsubstrate area 125 that is free of previously deposited material layers; and (3b) inspecting the nthmaterial layer in the (n-1 )thsubstrate area, in which only the nthmaterial layerZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOis formed on the substrate, particularly by measuring a property of the nthmaterial layer, e.g., the layer thickness. The nthmaterial layer may be inspected at a position along the substrate transport path downstream of the nthdeposition source and upstream of an (n+1 )thdeposition source.

[0049] In some embodiments, the above actions “(3a) to (3b)” can be repeated one or more times, with n incremented by 1 , respectively, to coat the substrate with a plurality of layers in succession. At least some of the deposited layers are inspected directly after deposition with a respective inspection system, or each of the deposited layers is inspected directly after deposition with a respective inspection system. Notably, if a deposited layer is not inspected directly after deposition, a subsequent layer is typically deposited on top of the deposited layer, so that an individual layer inspection may no longer be possible (as is schematically illustrated in Fig. 3). In some embodiments, two or more subsequent layers may be inspected together, for example to measure the total thickness of two or more subsequent layers.

[0050] In some embodiments, (3a) to (3b) can be repeated three or more times, six or more times, ten or more times, 15 or more times, or even twenty or more times, to coat the substrate with a layer stack that includes, e.g., more than five layers, more than nine layers, more than 13 layers, more than 18 layers, or more than 23 layers, e.g. 24 layers.

[0051] Fig. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a substrate 10 formed by the layer inspection method according to embodiments described herein. A layer stack including a total of 10 or more layers may be formed on the substrate 10, three of which are schematically illustrated in Fig. 3. After the deposition of each of the layers, the respective layer is individually inspected, and the edge exclusion shield that shields the substrate during the deposition of the subsequent layer is displaced relative to the preceding edge exclusion shield toward the first substrate edge 131 , e.g., by a displacement distance D1 , to expose a substrate region that is free of previously deposited materials.ZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WO

[0052] In the schematic illustration of Fig. 3, the second material layer 32 is deposited at least partially over the first material layer 31 and partially - in the “first substrate area 125” - directly on the substrate, where the second material layer 32 can be inspected after deposition. The second material layer 32 can be inspected in an inspection area X1 , where the layer thickness of the second material layer 32 is essentially constant. The third material layer 33 is deposited at least partially over the previous material layers and partially - in the second substrate area 126 - directly on the substrate, where the third material layer 33 can be inspected after deposition. The third material layer 33 can be inspected in an inspection area X1 , where the layer thickness of the third material layer 33 is essentially constant. After the deposition of a subsequent material layer, an individual layer inspection of the preceding material layer may no longer be possible, since the inspection area of the preceding material layer may then be covered by the subsequent material layer. A characteristic “step-like” layer edge profile may be formed toward the first substrate edge 131 , as it is schematically depicted in Fig. 3.

[0053] The substrate 10 according to embodiments described herein may be a bare glass substrate, particularly a test substrate that is specifically used for inspecting the plurality of layers. In particular, the substrate 10 is typically not a mass production (MP) substrate that is usable for actual display device manufacture. A substrate usable for actual display device manufacture (also referred to herein as an “MP substrate”) is generally provided with a complex pattern of pixel-defining structures and is expensive and complex to produce. According to some embodiments described herein, costs can be saved and the measurement accuracy can be increased by using a bare glass substrate as the substrate 10 for carrying out the in-situ layer inspection described herein.

[0054] Even if a bare glass substrate is used for carrying out the inspection method described herein, the material layers of the layer stack that is deposited on the substrate 10 may correspond in terms of sequence, number, materials, and / or deposition settings to an actual layer stack for OLED manufacture deposited on an MP substrate. Thereby, the monitoring and inspection resultsZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOcorrespond to the respective layer properties of an actual OLED device manufactured in the vacuum deposition system.

[0055] In some embodiments, the deposition and in-situ inspection of the plurality of layers on the bare glass substrate in the vacuum deposition system is carried out at least partially in temporal overlap with the deposition of actual OLED structures on MP substrates in the vacuum deposition system. For example, the bare glass substrate may be processed in the vacuum deposition system synchronously with MP substrates, in order to be able to inspect the plurality of deposited layers under real operating conditions and in order not to cause or increase the downtime of the system. In particular, the bare glass substrate used for layer inspection as described herein may be loaded into the vacuum deposition system after an MP substrate for OLED manufacture and before a subsequent MP substrate for OLED manufacture, e.g., without significantly disrupting the tact time of the deposition system.

[0056] In some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, inspecting a material layer may comprise measuring a property of the material layer, particularly the layer thickness. The layer thickness can be accurately measured in an area where only the respective material layer is directly formed on the substrate, for example, the layer thickness can be measured via spectrometric ref lectom etry. In particular, in some embodiments described herein, the first inspection system 61 , the second inspection system 62, the third inspection system 63 and / or optional further inspection device may include spectroscopic reflectometers. In some embodiments, one or more other properties of the material layer are measured, e.g., the layer uniformity, reflectance, transmittance and / or absorptance of the respective layer.

[0057] In some embodiments, the vacuum deposition system includes a plurality of in-situ layer inspection systems, particularly spectroscopic reflectometers, each in-situ layer inspection system being arranged downstream of a respective deposition source along the substrate transportZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOpath, to inspect the material layer deposited by the respective deposition source directly after the deposition. Ten or more in-situ layer inspection systems may be provided, or even twenty or more in-situ layer inspection systems.

[0058] The inspection system may be configured and arranged such that the substrate 10 that is transported on the substrate transportation track 13 in an essentially vertical orientation past the inspection system can be inspected, particularly by measuring one or more properties of a material layer deposited on the substrate. In particular, the substrate 10 can be briefly stopped on the substrate transportation track 13, when a respective region of the substrate with one single material layer is arranged in front of the inspection system, and the material layer can be individually inspected. For example, a layer inspection via spectroscopic reflectometry may take between 1 second and 3 seconds.

[0059] In some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the first edge exclusion shield 100 is moved at a first distance (A1 ) between 2 mm and 20 mm, particularly at a first distance (A1 ) between 4 mm and 10 mm, from the substrate 10 past the first deposition source 51 during the deposition of the first material layer 31. In some embodiments, the second edge exclusion shield 100’ is moved at a second distance (A2) between 2 mm and 20 mm, particularly at a second distance (A2) between 4 mm and 10 mm, from the substrate 10 past the second deposition source 52 during the deposition of the second material layer 32. In some embodiments, the nthedge exclusion shield is moved at a distance between 2 mm and 20 mm, particularly at an nthdistance between 4 mm and 10 mm, from the substrate 10 past the nthdeposition source to deposit the nthmaterial layer on the substrate. The first, second and nthdistances may have similar or same values in some embodiments, e.g., 5 mm. A distance in the above range ensures a reliable shielding of the substrate edges by the edge exclusion shields, while keeping a shadowing effect comparatively small.

[0060] In some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the first material layer, the second materialZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOlayer and / or any of the optional further material layers are deposited by thermal evaporation, particularly with an evaporation source. In particular, the first deposition source 51 , the second deposition source 52 and / or any of the optional further deposition sources includes a respective crucible for evaporating the material to be deposited on the substrate and a distribution pipe for directing the material in a vapor state toward the substrate 10 through a plurality of nozzles. The substrate may be substantially vertically oriented during the layer deposition.

[0061] In some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrate 10 is moved past the first deposition source 51 , the second deposition source 52 and the optional further deposition sources in an essentially vertical orientation. During the substrate movement and material deposition, the substrate 10 may be carried by a respective substrate carrier 80. The substrate carrier 80 may include a chucking device, e.g., an electrostatic chuck ESC, for holding the substrate during the transport through the vacuum deposition system and during the layer deposition.

[0062] In some embodiments, the layer stack that is deposited on the substrate 10 includes a plurality of layers including one or more metallic layers and one or more organic layers in accordance with a layer stack for OLED manufacture.

[0063] The substrate 10 may be a bare glass substrate, particularly a test substrate that is to be used for layer inspection, which is different from a mass production (MP) substrate for OLED manufacture.

[0064] In some embodiments, the deposition and in-situ inspection of the plurality of layers on the bare glass substrate in the vacuum deposition system according to the methods described herein is carried out at least partially in temporal overlap with the manufacture of OLED structures on MP substrates that are provided with a pixel defining pattern. The downtime of the system can be reduced, and the layer inspection can be carried out during actual systemZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOoperation, without significantly delaying the deposition operation on display substrates.

[0065] According to another aspect described herein, a vacuum deposition system 1000 is provided that is configured to carry out any of the layer inspection methods described herein. The vacuum deposition system is configured to coat a substrate with a plurality of layers, particularly to provide an OLED layer stack on substrates. The vacuum deposition system may include a controller configured to move the substrate 10, the first edge exclusion shield 100, the second edge exclusion shield 100’ and optional further edge exclusion shields in accordance with any of the inspection methods described herein on their respective tracks.

[0066] In particular, the vacuum deposition system 1000 includes the substrate transportation track 13 configured to move the substrate along a substrate transport path past the first deposition source 51 for coating the substrate with the first material layer 31 and past the second deposition source 52 for coating the substrate with a second material layer 32.

[0067] The vacuum deposition system further includes: the first shield track 12 between the substrate transportation track and the first deposition source for moving the first edge exclusion shield 100 in front of the substrate for shielding a first shielded region 121 of the substrate during the coating with the first material layer 31 ; and a first inspection system 61 downstream of the first deposition source and upstream of the second deposition source along the substrate transport path, the first inspection system configured for an in-situ inspection of the first material layer 31 .

[0068] The vacuum deposition system further includes: a second shield track 12’ between the substrate transportation track and the second deposition source for moving the second edge exclusion shield 100’ in front of the substrate for shielding a second shielded region 122 of the substrate during the coating with the second material layer, the second shielded region being displaced relative to the first shielded region toward the first substrate edge 131ZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOto expose a first substrate area 125 that is free of deposited material; and a second inspection system 62 downstream of the second deposition source along the substrate transport path and configured for in-situ inspection of the second material layer 32 in the first substrate area 125.

[0069] Optionally, the vacuum deposition system further includes: a third deposition source 53 downstream of the second deposition source 52 along the substrate transport path, the third deposition source 53 for coating the substrate with a third material layer 33; a third shield track 12” between the substrate transportation track and the third deposition source 53 and configured to move a third edge exclusion shield 100” in front of the substrate for shielding a third shielded region 123 of the substrate during the coating with the third material layer, the third shielded region being displaced relative to the second shielded region toward the first substrate edge 131 to expose a second substrate area 126 that is free of deposited material; and a third inspection system 63 downstream of the third deposition source along the substrate transport path and configured for an in-situ inspection of the third material layer 33 in the second substrate area 126.

[0070] Optionally, the vacuum deposition system particularly further includes, with n being each number from n=3 to n=N: an nthdeposition source downstream of the (n-1 )thdeposition source along the substrate transport path, the nthdeposition source for coating the substrate with an nthmaterial layer; an nthshield track between the substrate transportation track and the nthdeposition source and configured to move an nthedge exclusion shield in front of the substrate for shielding an nthshielded region of the substrate during the coating with the nthmaterial layer, the nthshielded region being displaced relative to the (n-1 )thshielded region toward the first substrate edge 131 to expose an (n-1 )thsubstrate area that is free of deposited material; and an nthinspection system downstream of the nthdeposition source along the substrate transport path and configured for in-situ inspection of the nthmaterial layer in the (n-1 )thsubstrate area. N may be an integer of six or more, 10 or more, or even 20 over more.ZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WO

[0071] Accordingly, the vacuum deposition system 1000 may be configured to coat the substrate with a layer stack including a plurality of N layers, wherein each of the N layers can be deposited on the substrate with an offset relative to the preceding layer (at least on one side of the substrate approaching a first substrate edge) and subsequently individually inspected in the vacuum deposition system with a respective inspection system.

[0072] In some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, at least one of the first inspection system, the second inspection system, and the optional further inspection systems are configured to measure a material layer property, particularly a layer thickness, more particularly by a spectroscopic reflectometry. In particular, the inspection systems may respectively include a spectroscopic reflectometer.

[0073] In some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrate transportation track 13 and the first shield track 12 extend essentially parallel to each other to provide a distance between the substrate and the first edge exclusion shield during deposition of 2 mm or more and 20 mm or less, particularly 4 mm or more and 10 mm or less. In some embodiments, the substrate transportation track 13 and the second (or nth) shield track extend essentially parallel to each other to provide a distance between the substrate and the second (or nth) edge exclusion shield during deposition of 2 mm or more and 20 mm or less.

[0074] In some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the vacuum deposition system further includes a substrate carrier 80 with an electrostatic chuck for carrying the substrate 10 along the substrate transport path in an essentially vertical orientation through the vacuum deposition system.

[0075] Referring now to Fig. 4, a substrate 10 in a vacuum deposition system according to any of the embodiments described herein is shown during material deposition. The substrate 10 is shown during action (2a) of Fig. 1 , namely during the movement of the substrate 10 together with the second edgeZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOexclusion shield 100’ past the second deposition source 52 for depositing the second material layer 32 on the substrate 10. The first material layer 31 has already previously been deposited on the substrate by the first deposition source 51 .

[0076] As is schematically depicted in Fig. 4, the deposition source is an evaporation source that directs a plume of vapor material with an opening angle a toward the substrate for coating the substrate with the material. In some embodiments, the plume opening angle a can be 60° or more and 120° or less. Since the substrate 10 and the second edge exclusion mask 100’ are moved on separate tracks and are arranged at a second distance A2 (> 0, e.g., 2 mm or more and 10 mm or less, for example about 6 mm or more) from each other, a shadowing effect occurs and some of the vapor material is deposited “behind” the edge exclusion shield. Due to the shadowing effect, each of the deposited material layers may have a ramped edge area with a continuously increasing layer thickness. The ramp length R1 of the ramped edge area depends on the plume opening angle a as well as on the distance between the substrate and the respective edge exclusion shield. In some embodiments, the ramp length R1 may be similar for some or all of the deposited layers.

[0077] A layer inspection within the ramped edge area of a material layer may lead to inaccurate measurement results. Therefore, each material layer is beneficially inspected at a position where the respective material layer has a constant thickness (in an “inspection area”), i.e. , not at a position in a ramped edge area of the respective layer. A suitable inspection position for inspecting the second material layer 32 is exemplarily illustrated with reference numeral “X1” in Fig. 4. The inspection position X1 is arranged further away from the first substrate edge than the ramped edge area of the second material layer 32 and closer to the first substrate edge than the ramped edge area of the first material layer 31 , as is shown in Fig. 4.

[0078] According to embodiments described herein, an edge exclusion shield is generally displaced relative to the preceding edge exclusion shield towardZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOthe first substrate edge, in order to expose a respective substrate area that is free of the previously deposited materials. For example, in Fig. 4, the second edge exclusion shield 100’ is displaced relative to the first edge exclusion shield 100 (illustrated in dashed lines) toward the leading edge of the substrate, in order to expose the first substrate area 125 that is free of the first material layer 31. The “displacement distance D1”, by which an nthshielded region is shifted relative to an (n-1 )thshielded region may be larger than the ramp length R1 of the ramped edge area of the respective material layer, in order to provide a inspection position (“X1”) in an inspection area at which the respective layer is not varying in thickness.

[0079] According to some embodiments, which can be combined in other embodiments described herein, the second shielded region 122 is displaced relative to the first shielded region 121 toward the first substrate edge 131 by a displacement distance D1 , wherein the displacement distance D1 is larger than a ramp length R1 of a ramped edge area of the second material layer 32. In particular, the nthshielded region is displaced relative to the (n-1 )thshielded region toward the first substrate edge 131 by a displacement distance D1 that is larger than a ramp length R1 of a ramped edge area of the nthmaterial layer. In particular, the displacement distance D1 is larger by 2 mm or more, particularly 5 mm or more, more particularly by 8 mm or more than the respective ramp length R1 , and / or the displacement distance D1 is larger by 30 mm or less, particularly by 20 mm or less than the respective ramp length R1. For example, the displacement distance D1 may be about R1 + 10 mm in some embodiments. The displacement distance D1 may be long enough to ensure an inspection area where the respective layer has a constant thickness and can be reliably inspected. The displacement distance D1 should not be too long so as not to waste substrate area that is not needed for inspection. In some embodiments, the displacement distance D1 may be essentially the same or may be similar for each of the layers to be inspected.

[0080] In some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the displacement distance D1 is 10 mm orZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOmore and 60 mm or less, particularly 30 mm or more and 50 mm or less. Specifically, the nthshielded region may be shifted toward the first substrate edge by 10 mm or more and 60 mm or less relative to the (n-1 )thshielded region. Accordingly, if a total of 10 or more layers is to be inspected, a total substrate area along the first substrate edge 131 with a dimension of, for example, 10x30 mm=300 mm from the first substrate edge 131 may be used for inspecting each of the 10 layers individually. Similarly, if a total of 20 or more layers is to be inspected, a total substrate area along the first substrate edge 131 with a dimension of, for example, 20x30 mm =600 mm from the first substrate edge 131 , for example 1 m from the first substrate edge 131 , may be used for inspecting the layers individually.

[0081] In some embodiments, the ramp length R1 of the ramped edge areas of at least some or all of the deposited layers is 4 mm or more and 40 mm or less, particularly 30 mm or more and 35 mm or less, for example about 30 mm. In some embodiments, an inspection area may have a length of 2 mm or more and 15 mm or less, particularly 5 mm or more and 12 mm or less, for example about 10 mm, for enabling an accurate layer inspection. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the displacement distance D1 of a respective edge exclusion shield relative to the respective preceding edge exclusion shield may be 30 mm or more and 50 mm or less, for example about D1 = 40 mm, respectively. If 24 layers are to be inspected on one single bare glass substrate, a substrate area with a dimension of 40 mm x 24 layers = ~960 mm may be used for the layer inspection.

[0082] It is to be noted that, in some embodiments, not each layer of the deposited layer stack is inspected. For example, one or more of the deposited layers of the layer stack are not inspected in some embodiments. In an example, only every second deposited layer is inspected. In another example, only selected layers are inspected, and / or selected layers are not inspected. For example, some of the layers should be monitored more regularly than others in some embodiments. If a deposited layer is not inspected, it is generally not necessary to displace the respective edge exclusion shield relative to theZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOpreceding edge exclusion shield for the respective layer deposition, so that substrate area can be saved. It is also possible that (only) a predetermined subselection of material layers is deposited on the substrate, which are to be inspected, whereas some of the deposition sources of the system may not be used for depositing a layer on the substrate.

[0083] Further, it is to be noted that, in some embodiments, one or more of the material layers may include two or more (sub-)layers on top of each other, which are inspected together, for example to measure the total thickness of several (sub-)layers. In an example, a material layer may include two or more (sub-)layers of the same material or of different materials, which may be inspected together. In some embodiments, two (or more) subsequent deposition sources are used to deposit two (or more) layers of, for example, the same material, and it may be beneficial to inspect the layers together, i.e. , not individually. In such an event, two (or more) successive edge exclusion shields of said two (or more) deposition sources can be positioned to shield corresponding shielded regions of the substrate, enabling an inspection of several layers together, e.g., for measuring the total thickness of several layers at a position, where the lowermost layer of the several layers is provided directly on the substrate.

[0084] While the foregoing has been explained in a substrate deposition process utilizing a static deposition source and a shield and substrate moving relative to the deposition source, the benefits of the present disclosure may be likewise obtained in a process utilizing a static shield and substrate and a moveable deposition source.

[0085] The embodiments described herein can be utilized for deposition of materials, such as organic, inorganic or metallic materials, on large area substrates, e.g., for OLED display manufacturing. Specifically, the substrates, for which the structures and methods according to embodiments described herein are provided, may be large area substrates. For instance, a large area substrate can be GEN 4.5, which corresponds to a surface area of about 0.67ZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOm2(0.73 m x 0.92 m), GEN 5, which corresponds to a surface area of about 1 .4 m2(1 .1 m x 1 .3 m), GEN 7.5, which corresponds to a surface area of about 4.29 m2(1.95 m x 2.2 m), GEN 8.5, which corresponds to a surface area of about 5.7m2(2.2 m x 2.5 m), or even GEN 10, which corresponds to a surface area of about 8.7 m2(2.85 m x 3.05 m). Even larger generations such as GEN 11 and GEN 12 and corresponding surface areas can similarly be implemented. Half sizes of the GEN generations may also be provided in OLED display manufacturing.

[0086] While the foregoing is directed to some embodiments, other and further embodiments may be devised without departing from the basic scope, and the scope is determined by the claims that follow.

Claims

ZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOCLAIMS1 . A method of in-situ inspection of a plurality of layers of a layer stack deposited on a substrate (10) in a vacuum deposition system, comprising:(1 a) moving the substrate (10) and a first edge exclusion shield (100) past a first deposition source (51 ) to deposit a first material layer on the substrate, wherein the first edge exclusion shield (100) is moved in front of the substrate (10) on a first shield track (12) so that a first shielded region (121 ) of the substrate is shielded by the first edge exclusion shield (100);(1 b) inspecting the first material layer (31 );(2a) moving the substrate (10) and a second edge exclusion shield (100’) past a second deposition source (52) to deposit a second material layer (32) on the substrate at least partially over the first material layer (31 ), wherein the second edge exclusion shield (100’) is moved in front of the substrate (10) so that a second shielded region (122) of the substrate is shielded by the second edge exclusion shield (100’), the second shielded region being displaced relative to the first shielded region toward a first substrate edge (131) to expose a first substrate area (125) that is free of the first material layer; and(2b) inspecting the second material layer in the first substrate area (125).

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, with n being an integer with an initial value of 3:(3a) moving the substrate (10) and an nthedge exclusion shield past an nthdeposition source to deposit an nthmaterial layer on the substrate at least partially over the (n-1)thmaterial layer, wherein the nthedge exclusion shield is moved in front of the substrate (10) so that an nthshielded region of the substrate is shielded by the nthedge exclusion shield, the nthshielded region being displaced relative to the (n-1)thshielded region toward the firstZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOsubstrate edge (131) to expose an (n-1)thsubstrate area (125) that is free of previously deposited material layers; and(3b) inspecting the nthmaterial layer in the (n-1 )thsubstrate area; and (4) optionally repeating (3a) to (3b) one or more times, with n incremented by 1 , respectively.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein (3a) to (3b) are repeated three or more times, particularly ten or more times.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein inspecting a material layer comprises measuring a thickness of the material layer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the thickness is measured via spectroscopic reflectometry.

6. The method of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first edge exclusion shield (100) is moved at a first distance (A1 ) between 2 mm and 20 mm from the substrate past the first deposition source; and / or the second edge exclusion shield (100’) is moved at a second distance (A2) between 2 mm and 20 mm from the substrate past the second deposition source.

7. The method of any of claims 1 to 5, whereinin (2a), the second shielded region is displaced relative to the first shielded region toward the first substrate edge (131) by a displacement distance (D1 ); and / orin (3a), the nthshielded region is displaced relative to the (n-1)thshielded region toward the first substrate edge (131) by the displacement distance (D1 );wherein the displacement distance (D1 ) is larger than a ramp length (R1 ) of a ramped edge area of a deposited material layer caused by shadowing.ZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WO8. The method of claim 7, wherein the displacement distance (D1 ) is 10 mm or more and 60 mm or less, particularly 30 mm or more and 50 mm or less, and / or the ramp length (R1 ) is 4 mm or more and 40 mm or less.

9. The method of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first material layer and the second material layer are deposited by thermal evaporation.

10. The method of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first deposition source (51 ) is an evaporation source with a crucible for evaporating the first material and a distribution pipe for directing the first material toward the substrate (10) via a plurality of nozzles.11 . The method of any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the substrate (10) is moved past the first deposition source (51 ), past the second deposition source (52) and past optional further deposition sources in an essentially vertical orientation.

12. The method of any of claims 1 to 11 , wherein the plurality of layers deposited on the substrate comprise one or more metallic layers and one or more organic layers in accordance with a layer stack for OLED manufacture.

13. The method of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the substrate is a bare glass substrate, particularly a test substrate to be used for layer inspection, the bare glass substrate being carried through the vacuum deposition system by a substrate carrier (80).

14. The method of claim 13, wherein deposition and in-situ inspection of material layers on the bare glass substrate in the vacuum deposition system is carried out at least partially in temporal overlap with deposition and processing of OLED structures on substrates provided with a pixel defining pattern in the vacuum deposition system.

15. A substrate manufactured by the method of any of claims 1 to 14.ZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WO16. A vacuum deposition system for coating a substrate (10) with a plurality of layers, comprising:a first deposition source (51 ) and at least a second deposition source (52);a substrate transportation track (13) configured to move the substrate along a substrate transport path past the first deposition source for coating the substrate with a first material layer (31 ) and past the second deposition source for coating the substrate with a second material layer (32);a first shield track (12) between the substrate transportation track and the first deposition source and configured to move a first edge exclusion shield (100) in front of the substrate for shielding a first shielded region (121) of the substrate during the coating with the first material layer (31 );a first inspection system (61 ) downstream of the first deposition source and upstream of the second deposition source along the substrate transport path, the first inspection system configured for in-situ inspection of the first material layer (31);a second shield track (12’) between the substrate transportation track and the second deposition source and configured to move a second edge exclusion shield (100’) in front of the substrate for shielding a second shielded region (122) of the substrate during the coating with the second material layer, the second shielded region being displaced relative to the first shielded region toward a first substrate edge (131 ) to expose a first substrate area (125) that is free of the first material layer; anda second inspection system (62) downstream of the second deposition source along the substrate transport path and configured for in-situ inspection of the second material layer (32) in the first substrate area (125).

17. The vacuum deposition system of claim 16, further comprising:ZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOa third deposition source (53) downstream of the second deposition source (52) along the substrate transport path, the third deposition source for coating the substrate with a third material layer (33);a third shield track (12”) between the substrate transportation track and the third deposition source and configured to move a third edge exclusion shield (100”) in front of the substrate for shielding a third shielded region (123) of the substrate during the coating with the third material layer, the third shielded region being displaced relative to the second shielded region toward the first substrate edge (131) to expose a second substrate area (126) that is free of the first and second material layers; anda third inspection system (63) downstream of the third deposition source along the substrate transport path and configured for in-situ inspection of the third material layer (33) in the second substrate area (126).

18. The vacuum deposition system of claim 16 or 17, wherein at least one of the first inspection system, the second inspection system, and the third inspection system is configured to measure a layer thickness, particularly via spectroscopic reflectometry.

19. The vacuum deposition system of any of claims 16 to 18, wherein the substrate transportation track and the first shield track extend essentially parallel to each other to provide a distance between the substrate and the first edge exclusion shield during material deposition of 2 mm or more and 20 mm or less.

20. The vacuum deposition system of any of claims 16 to 19, further comprising a substrate carrier with an electrostatic chuck for carrying the substrate along the substrate transport path in an essentially vertical orientation.21 . A vacuum deposition system (1000) for coating a substrate with a plurality of layers, comprising:ZIMR / 0576PC 35339P-WOa first deposition source (51 ) and at least a second deposition source (52);a substrate transportation track (13) for a substrate movement along a substrate transport path past the first deposition source for coating the substrate with a first material layer (31 ) and past the second deposition source for coating the substrate with a second material layer (32);a first shield track (12) between the substrate transportation track and the first deposition source for moving a first edge exclusion shield (100) in front of the substrate past the first deposition source (51 ) so that a first shielded region of the substrate is shielded;a second shield track (12’) between the substrate transportation track and the second deposition source for moving a second edge exclusion shield (100’) in front of the substrate past the second deposition source (52) so that a second shielded region of the substrate is shielded;a first inspection system (61 ) downstream of the first deposition source and upstream of the second deposition source along the substrate transport path for inspecting the first material layer (31 ); anda second inspection system (62) downstream of the second deposition source and upstream of a third deposition source along the substrate transport path for inspecting the second material layer (32).

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