Thin Film Deposition Apparatus with Barrier Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fine metal mask (FMM) deposition methods for organic light-emitting display devices face challenges in achieving high light-emission efficiency and are inefficient, with low deposition efficiency and difficulty in reusing deposited materials, especially when scaling up to larger substrates.
Innovation Solution
A thin film deposition apparatus with a deposition source, first nozzle, second nozzle assembly, and barrier wall assembly that partitions the deposition space into sub-deposition areas, allowing precise control and reuse of deposition materials, and enabling the deposition of thin films on large substrates with improved efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a fine metal mask (FMM) is used for deposition, then pattern precision is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the deposition space into multiple sub-deposition spaces using barrier walls, and segments the nozzle system into multiple nozzles with multiple slits each. This segmentation allows precise material deposition without requiring a complex FMM, achieving pattern precision through spatial division rather than a single complex masking layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces barrier walls as intermediary structures between the nozzles and substrate. These barrier walls serve as mediators that control material flow and define deposition patterns, replacing the need for FMM while maintaining manufacturing precision through their strategic placement and design.
2Manufacturing precision
If FMM is used for deposition, then deposition precision is improved, but deposition efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the deposition system into multiple nozzles with multiple slits and dividing the deposition space into sub-deposition spaces, the patent enables simultaneous deposition in multiple zones, improving overall deposition efficiency while maintaining precision through the segmented architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple nozzles with multiple slits into a single deposition system, allowing simultaneous material delivery to multiple locations. This merging of multiple deposition functions into one integrated system improves deposition efficiency while maintaining precision through coordinated operation of the combined components.
3Manufacturing precision
If FMM is used for deposition, then pattern accuracy is improved, but material reuse becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier walls act as intermediaries that confine deposited materials within specific sub-deposition spaces. This confinement allows materials to be retained and reused more effectively compared to FMM methods, where materials are lost to the mask and surrounding areas, thus improving material reuse while maintaining pattern accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent design enables easier recovery of deposited materials by eliminating the FMM that typically absorbs or loses materials. The barrier wall configuration allows materials to be deposited precisely while remaining accessible for recovery and reuse, implementing a discarding and recovering strategy that improves material efficiency.
4Productivity
If deposition is performed on large substrates, then production capacity is improved, but alignment precision becomes more difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the large substrate deposition area into multiple sub-deposition spaces, each handled by specific nozzles. This segmentation allows precise alignment to be maintained in each smaller zone while covering large substrate areas, solving the contradiction between production capacity and alignment precision on large substrates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a vertical dimension with barrier walls rising from the substrate surface to create enclosed sub-deposition spaces. This dimensional change allows precise material confinement and alignment control in three-dimensional space, enabling accurate deposition across large substrate areas without compromising alignment precision.
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
The apparatus enhances deposition efficiency, allows for material reuse, and simplifies the manufacturing process for large substrates by reducing shadow zones and improving alignment precision, thereby increasing yield and reducing costs.
Implementation Method 1
a deposition source (110) for vaporizing deposition material (115) and for transporting the vaporized deposition material (115) toward a substrate (160)
Implementation Method 2
a deposition source (110) for vaporizing deposition material (115) and for transporting the vaporized deposition material (115) toward a substrate (160)
Data Source
AI summary
A thin film deposition apparatus that can be simply applied to manufacture a thin film on a large substrate on a mass scale and that improves manufacturing yield includes a deposition source; a first nozzle disposed at a side of the deposition source and including first slits arranged in a first direction; a second nozzle assembly disposed opposite to the deposition source and including strings arranged in the first direction; and a barrier wall assembly including barrier walls disposed between the first nozzle and the second nozzle assembly to partition a space between the first nozzle and the second nozzle assembly into a plurality of sub-deposition spaces. The second nozzle assembly is movable relative to the target along a plane parallel to a surface of the target, or the target is movable relative to the second nozzle along the plane.