Coating Device Thermal Segmentation for OLED Precision
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for depositing organic layers, such as OLED layers, face inefficiencies in process control and thermal management, particularly in maintaining substrate temperature below 100°C during the coating process, which affects the precision and quality of layer deposition.
Innovation Solution
A device with a temperature-controllable gas inlet element and a shielding element that thermally insulates the gas inlet and substrate, allowing for precise temperature control and efficient coating by moving substrate holders into position with masks for defined layer deposition, while using adjustable devices to align masks and substrates for precise pixel placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the gas inlet element is heated to a high temperature for efficient OLED layer deposition, then the deposition efficiency and layer quality are improved, but the substrate temperature rises above the required process temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into distinct thermal zones: a heated gas inlet element for efficient deposition and a cooled substrate holder for temperature control. The shielding element further segments the thermal path between these zones, allowing independent temperature control of each component.
Solution Approach 2:
A shielding element is introduced as an intermediary component between the heated gas inlet element and the substrate. This shielding element blocks thermal radiation and heat transfer, preventing the substrate from overheating while allowing the gas inlet element to maintain high temperature for efficient deposition.
2Productivity
If multiple substrate holders are used to increase production capacity, then the productivity is improved, but the device complexity and thermal management difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into multiple independent substrate holder units, each with its own displacement and temperature control. This modular segmentation allows parallel processing of multiple substrates while maintaining individual control over each holder's position and temperature.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple substrate holders share common control mechanisms and spatial arrangement, allowing the system to process multiple substrates simultaneously using the same gas inlet element and shielding configuration. This multi-functional design increases productivity without proportionally increasing device complexity.
3Manufacturing precision
If the substrate holder is positioned close to the mask holder for precise coating, then the coating precision is improved, but the substrate temperature increases due to heat from the gas inlet element
Solution Approach 1:
The shielding element acts as a thermal intermediary that can be positioned between the gas inlet element and the substrate holder. This allows the substrate holder to be placed close to the mask holder for precise coating while the shielding element blocks excessive heat from reaching the substrate.
Solution Approach 2:
The shielding element and substrate holder are designed with dynamic positioning capabilities, allowing their relative positions to be adjusted. This enables optimization of both coating precision (by positioning the substrate close to the mask) and thermal management (by adjusting the shielding element's position to block heat).
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables simultaneous and efficient coating of multiple substrates with precise temperature control, maintaining substrate temperatures below 60°C, and allowing for the deposition of layers with defined structures and color precision, enhancing process efficiency and product quality.
Implementation Method 1
The at least one shielding element is arranged directly downstream of the gas inlet element with respect to the flow direction of the process gas flow, wherein said shielding element thermally insulates the gas inlet element and the substrate from one another in a shielding position
Implementation Method 2
The device is used for depositing OLED layers onto essentially rectangular substrates. The organic materials being deposited onto the substrate are capable of illuminating in the three primary colors
Data Source
AI summary
A device for depositing a layer onto one or more substrates includes a process chamber; a gas inlet element, which can be temperature-controlled, for delivering a process gas into the process chamber in a flow direction towards the substrates; a shielding element, arranged directly after the gas inlet element in the flow direction and which, when in a shielding position, thermally insulates the gas inlet element and the substrates from each other; mask holders arranged after the shielding element in the flow direction, each for holding a mask; and substrate holders for holding at least one of the substrates, each substrate holder corresponding to one of the plurality of mask holders. For each of the substrate holders, a displacement element is provided for displacing the substrate holder from a position distant from the mask holder to a position adjacent to the mask holder.