Apparatus and method for depositing thin film

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9522410-B2
Application number	US-201313745265-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2013
Priority date	Jan 20, 2012
Publication date	Dec 20, 2016
Grant date	Dec 20, 2016

Abstract

A thin film deposition apparatus includes a substrate supporting unit supporting a substrate, a deposition source evaporating a deposition material to supply a steam of the deposition material to the substrate, and a deposition source shifting unit moving the deposition source so that the deposition source is relatively shifted with respect to the substrate supporting unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thin film deposition apparatus, comprising:
a substrate supporting unit supporting a substrate;
a deposition source evaporating a deposition material to supply steam of the deposition material onto a surface of the substrate, the deposition source comprising:
a nozzle unit having output holes through which the steam of the deposition material is output to the substrate;
a light radiating unit coupled to the nozzle unit, and radiating light to harden a region of the substrate where the deposition material is deposited;
an evaporation room where the deposition material is evaporated to generate the steam of the deposition material; and
a steam supplying unit connecting the evaporation room to the nozzle unit, and supplying the steam of the deposition material to the nozzle unit; and

a deposition source shifting unit moving the deposition source so that the deposition source is shifted relative to the substrate supporting unit.

2. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the substrate supporting unit supports the substrate in a state where the substrate stands in an up-and-down direction, the deposition source shifting unit shifts the deposition source in the up-and-down direction between upper and lower parts of the substrate, and the light radiating unit is placed in at least one of an upper side or a lower side of the nozzle unit.

3. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the substrate supporting unit supports the substrate such that a surface on which the deposition material is to be deposited is directed downwards, the nozzle unit supplies the steam of the deposition material to the substrate which is disposed at a lower side of the substrate supporting unit, and the light radiating unit is placed in at least one of a front or a rear of the nozzle unit along a shifting direction of the deposition source.

4. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the light radiating unit radiates an ultraviolet ray.

5. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the evaporation room comprises:
a container having an inner space;
a spray nozzle joined with the container and atomizing a liquefied deposition material into the inner space of the container; and
a first heater surrounding the container and heating the inner space of the container.

6. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the evaporation room further comprises a transfer nozzle connecting the container to the steam supplying unit, the transfer nozzle having a first inside diameter smaller than an inside diameter of the container; and
the steam supplying unit comprises a supplying nozzle having a first region, a second region, and a third region,
the first region is joined to the transfer nozzle, and has a second inside diameter smaller than the first inside diameter,
the second region is joined to the nozzle unit, and has a third inside diameter larger than the second inside diameter, the third inside diameter being smaller than the inside diameter of the container, and
the third region connects the first region to the second region, and has an inside diameter, the inside diameter of the third region gradually increasing as proceeding from the first region to the third region.

7. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the steam supplying unit further comprises:
a second heater surrounding the supplying nozzle to heat the supplying nozzle; and
a cooling block surrounding the second heater to cool a peripheral region of the second heater.

8. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 5 , wherein:
the deposition source further comprises an evaporation room shifting unit making relative shift of the evaporation room with respect to the steam supplying unit; and
the steam supplying unit comprises a supplying nozzle connecting the container and the nozzle unit and having a wrinkle region, the shape of the wrinkle region being varied according to a shift of the evaporation room.

9. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the evaporation room further comprises:
a deposition material supplying unit supplying the liquefied deposition material to the spray nozzle; and
a gas supplying unit supplying a carrier gas to the spray nozzle.

10. A thin film depositing method, comprising:
evaporating a deposition material to generate steam of the deposition material and to output the steam of the deposition material to a surface of a substrate via output holes formed at a nozzle unit by a thin film deposition apparatus that comprises:
a substrate supporting unit supporting the substrate;
a deposition source evaporating the deposition material to supply the steam of the deposition material onto the surface of the substrate, the deposition source comprising:
the nozzle unit having the output holes through which the steam of the deposition material is output to the substrate;
a light radiating unit coupled to the nozzle unit, and radiating light to harden a region of the substrate where the deposition material is deposited;
an evaporation room where the deposition material is evaporated to generate the steam of the deposition material; and
a steam supplying unit connecting the evaporation room to the nozzle unit, and supplying the steam of the deposition material to the nozzle unit; and

a deposition source shifting unit moving the deposition source so that the deposition source is shifted relative to the substrate supporting unit.

11. The thin film depositing method of claim 10 , wherein the nozzle unit shifts in a straight line from one end of the substrate to the other end of the substrate.

12. The thin film depositing method of claim 11 , wherein the substrate is supported at a state that the substrate stands in an up-and-down direction, and the nozzle unit shifts between a lower part and an upper part of the substrate.

13. The thin film depositing method of claim 11 , wherein the substrate is disposed such that a surface of the substrate where the deposition material is deposited is directed downwards, and the nozzle unit shifts at a lower side of the substrate.

14. The thin film depositing method of claim 11 , wherein the light radiating unit is disposed in at least one of a front or a rear of the nozzle unit along a shifting direction of the nozzle unit.

15. The thin film depositing method of claim 14 , wherein the light radiating unit radiates an ultraviolet ray.

16. The thin film depositing method of claim 10 , wherein the deposition material is evaporated by atomizing a liquefied deposition material into a container using a spray nozzle having an inside diameter smaller than an inside diameter of the container, and heating an inner space of the container.

17. The thin film depositing method of claim 16 , wherein the liquefied deposition material is sprayed into the inner space of the container together with a carrier gas.

18. The thin film depositing method of claim 17 , wherein the carrier gas includes an inert gas.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jung Sukwon
• Lee Yongsuk
• Hong Sanghyuk

Classifications

• F16K15/03

  with a hinged closure member {or with a pivoted closure member} · CPC title

• C23C14/12

  Organic material · CPC title

• C23C14/243

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

• B05B7/0012 Primary

  Apparatus for achieving spraying before discharge from the apparatus · CPC title

• B05B1/14

  with multiple outlet openings (B05B1/02, B05B1/26 take precedence); with strainers in or outside the outlet opening · CPC title