Thin film deposition apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9453282-B2
Application number	US-201514642360-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2015
Priority date	Mar 11, 2010
Publication date	Sep 27, 2016
Grant date	Sep 27, 2016

Abstract

A thin film deposition apparatus includes: a deposition source that discharges a deposition material; a deposition source nozzle unit disposed at a side of the deposition source and including a plurality of deposition source nozzles arranged in a first direction; a patterning slit sheet disposed opposite to the deposition source nozzle unit and including a plurality of patterning slits arranged in the first direction; a position detection member that detects a relative position of the substrate to the patterning slit sheet; and an alignment control member that controls a relative position of the patterning slit sheet to the substrate by using the relative position of the substrate detected by the position detection member, wherein the thin film deposition apparatus and the substrate are separated from each other, and the thin film deposition apparatus and the substrate are moved relative to each other.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thin film deposition apparatus to form a thin film on a substrate, the apparatus comprising:
a deposition source that discharges a deposition material;
a deposition source nozzle unit disposed at a side of the deposition source and including a plurality of deposition source nozzles arranged in a first direction;
a patterning slit sheet disposed opposite to and spaced apart from the deposition source nozzle unit and including a plurality of patterning slits arranged in the first direction;
a position detection member comprising a camera that detects a relative position of the substrate to the patterning slit sheet;
an alignment control member that controls a relative position of the patterning slit sheet to the substrate by using the relative position of the substrate detected by the position detection member; and
a focus control member disposed between the camera and the patterning slit sheet to control a focal point of the camera to alternatively be on the substrate and the patterning slit sheet,
wherein the thin film deposition apparatus and the substrate are spaced apart from each other, and
the thin film deposition apparatus and the substrate are moved relative to each other.

2. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the patterning slit sheet comprises a first alignment mark, and wherein the camera takes images of the first alignment mark and a second alignment mark on the substrate.

3. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the second alignment mark comprises at least one stripe that is substantially parallel to a direction in which the substrate is moved.

4. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the focus control member is disposed to be rotatable, and comprises a first hole and a second hole that have different refractive indices.

5. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 4 , wherein one of the first hole and the second hole is filled with a transparent material.

6. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the focus control member is disposed in such a way that the first hole and the second hole alternate on an optical axis of the camera.

7. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the position detection member further comprises:
a laser irradiation member that irradiates a laser beam in a direction substantially parallel to a direction in which the substrate is moved; and
at least one measurement member coaxially disposed with the laser beam irradiated from the laser irradiation member and comprising a third alignment mark.

8. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the alignment control member comprises at least two first actuators providing a predetermined driving force to move the patterning slit sheet relative to the substrate in the first direction.

9. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the alignment control member comprises at least three second actuators providing a predetermined driving force to move the patterning slit sheet relative to the substrate in a direction perpendicular to a deposition surface of the substrate.

10. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the patterning slit sheet is smaller than the substrate.

11. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a barrier plate assembly comprising a plurality of barrier plates that are disposed between the deposition source nozzle unit and the patterning slit sheet in the first direction, and that partition a space between the deposition source nozzle unit and the patterning slit sheet into a plurality of sub-deposition spaces.

12. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of barrier plates extend in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

13. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of barrier plates are arranged at equal intervals.

14. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the barrier plate assembly comprises a first barrier plate assembly comprising a plurality of first barrier plates, and a second barrier plate assembly comprising a plurality of second barrier plates.

15. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 14 , wherein each of the first barrier plates and each of the second barrier plates extend in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

16. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the first barrier plates are arranged to respectively correspond to the second barrier plates.

17. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 16 , wherein each pair of the corresponding first and second barrier plates is arranged on substantially the same plane.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hong Jong-Won
• Chang Seok-Rak
• Jo Chang-Mog
• Choi Young-Mook
• Ryu Jae-Kwang

Classifications

• C23C14/243 Primary

  Crucibles for source material (C23C14/28, C23C14/30 take precedence) · CPC title

• C23C16/042

  using masks · CPC title

• C23C14/042

  using masks · CPC title

• C23C14/54

  Controlling or regulating the coating process · CPC title

• C23C14/568

  Transferring the substrates through a series of coating stations (C23C14/562 takes precedence) · CPC title