Deposition apparatus, method of forming thin film using the same and method of manufacturing organic light emitting display apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9673265-B2
Application number	US-201314020849-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2013
Priority date	Dec 12, 2012
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

A deposition apparatus for performing a deposition process by using a mask with respect to a substrate, the deposition apparatus includes a chamber, a support unit in the chamber, the support unit including first holes and being configured to support the substrate, a supply unit configured to supply at least one deposition raw material toward the substrate, and movable alignment units through the first holes of the support unit, the alignment units being configured to support the mask and to align the mask with respect to the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a thin film on a substrate by using a deposition apparatus, wherein the method comprises:
inserting the substrate into a deposition chamber including a transparent window at a lower part of the deposition chamber;
disposing the substrate on a top surface of a stationary support unit, the support unit including first holes extending through the top surface of the support unit;
aligning a mask in three dimensions with respect to the substrate by moving alignment units, the alignment units extending through the first holes of the support unit to support the mask; and
supplying from a supply unit at least one deposition raw material toward the substrate to form the thin film on the substrate,
wherein the aligning the mask in three dimensions with respect to the substrate includes confirming an alignment state of the substrate and the mask using alignment confirmation members below the lower part of the deposition chamber, and
wherein the confirming the alignment state of the substrate and the mask using the alignment confirmation members is performed through the transparent window of the deposition chamber.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the confirming the alignment state of the substrate and the mask is performed in real-time through second holes in the support unit.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the second holes of the support unit and the transparent window of the chamber overlap each other such that the second holes and the transparent window form a straight optical path from the alignment confirmation members to the substrate on the support unit.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the using the alignment confirmation members includes checking an alignment mark of each of the mask and the substrate.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the aligning the mask with respect to the substrate includes moving lift pins toward the support unit, while supporting the substrate, the lift pins penetrating through third holes in the support unit.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising controlling a distance between the substrate and the supply unit by vertically moving the support unit up and down, after the aligning of the mask with respect to the substrate.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising cleaning of the deposition chamber by generating a remote plasma from a cleaning unit connected to the deposition chamber, and inserting the remote plasma to the deposition chamber after forming the thin film.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the aligning the mask with respect to the substrate includes moving same aligning units inside respective first holes in three different directions.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the aligning the mask with respect to the substrate includes moving same aligning units inside respective first holes along both vertical and horizontal directions while supporting the mask, the horizontal direction extending in parallel to the substrate, and the vertical direction extending along a normal to the substrate.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the aligning the mask with respect to the substrate includes moving the mask with the alignment units, while maintaining the substrate stationary.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the aligning the mask with respect to the substrate includes moving the alignment units through the first holes in the support unit, while maintaining the support unit stationary.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the disposing the substrate on the support unit includes positioning the substrate directly on an upper surface of the support unit, the first holes penetrating through the upper surface of the support unit.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the transparent window prevents the alignment confirmation members from being contaminated by the at least one deposition raw material from the supply unit.

14. A method of manufacturing an organic light-emitting display apparatus, the method comprises:
inserting a substrate into a deposition chamber including a transparent window at a lower part of the deposition chamber;
disposing the substrate on a top surface of a stationary support unit, the support unit including first holes extending through the top surface of the support unit;
aligning a mask in three dimensions with respect to the substrate by using alignment units disposed to penetrate the first holes of the support unit while supporting the mask; and
supplying from a supply unit one or more deposition raw materials toward the substrate, such that at least one thin film of an organic light emitting element is formed on the substrate,
wherein the aligning the mask in three dimensions with respect to the substrate includes confirming an alignment state of the substrate and the mask using alignment confirmation members below the lower part of the deposition chamber, and
wherein the confirming the alignment state of the substrate and the mask using the alignment confirmation members is performed through the transparent window of the deposition chamber.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the aligning the mask with respect to the substrate includes confirming the alignment state of the substrate and the mask by using in real-time the alignment confirmation members through second holes in the support unit.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein forming the organic light emitting element on the substrate includes forming a first electrode, an intermediate layer having an organic light-emitting layer, a second electrode, and an encapsulating layer on the substrate, at least the encapsulating layer being the thin film of the organic light emitting element.

17. The method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein forming the thin film of the organic light emitting element includes forming an insulating layer.

18. The method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein forming the thin film of the organic light emitting element includes forming a conductive film.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Huh Myung-Soo
• Jung Suk-Won
• Yi Jeong-Ho
• Hong Sang-Hyuk
• Lee Yong-Suk

Classifications

• H10P72/7612

  characterised by lifting arrangements, e.g. lift pins · CPC title

• H10P72/7611

  characterised by edge profile or support profile · CPC title

• H10P72/57

  Mask-wafer alignment · CPC title

• H10P72/53

  using optical controlling means · CPC title

• C23C16/4405

  Cleaning of reactor or parts inside the reactor by using reactive gases · CPC title