Vapor deposition apparatus including a blocking gas flow generation unit

• US 10,446,753 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2016
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kim, Jin-Kwang, Song, Seung-Yong, Huh, Myung-Soo, Jung, Suk-Won, Jang, Choel-Min, Kim, Jae-Hyun, Kim, Sung-Chul
• Primary Examiner(s): Bratland, Jr., Kenneth A
• Application Number:
  US15/205,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20160322574A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• Field of Search: 117 84, 117 88- 89, 117 93, 117 98, 117102, 117105, 117107, 117200, 118715, 118722, 118723 R, 1563451, 15634533, 15634534, 15634543, 15634551, 15634554
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/24 Vacuum evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/564 Means for minimising impurities in the coating chamber such as dust, moisture, residual gases
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4401 Means for minimising impurities, e.g. dust, moisture or residual gas, in the reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4412 Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45536 Use of plasma, radiation or electromagnetic fields
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45544 characterized by the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45551 for relative movement of the substrate and the gas injectors or half-reaction reactor compartments
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/50 using electric discharges generation and control of plasma in discharge tubes for surface treatment H01J37/32, H01J37/34
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 13/30 Drying; Impregnating H01B13/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/81 Anodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/82 Cathodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/844 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/12 Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/1201 Manufacture or treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/60 Forming conductive regions or layers, e.g. electrodes

Abstract

A vapor deposition apparatus in which a deposition process is performed by moving a substrate, the vapor deposition apparatus including a supply unit that injects at least one raw material gas towards the substrate, and a blocking gas flow generation unit that is disposed corresponding to the supply unit and generates a gas-flow that blocks a flow of the raw material gas.

Claims

1. A vapor deposition apparatus in which a deposition process is performed by moving a substrate, the vapor deposition apparatus comprising:

a supply unit that injects at least one raw material gas towards the substrate;

a driving unit to move the substrate, and

a blocking gas flow generation unit that is disposed corresponding to the supply unit and generates a gas-flow that blocks a flow of the raw material gas, the blocking gas flow generation unit is separated from the supply unit by at least a region along a first direction,

wherein the blocking gas flow generation unit injects a blocking gas in a direction counter to an injection direction of the raw material gas from the supply unit and the substrate is movable by the driving unit to traverse between the flow of the raw material gas and a flow of the blocking gas,

wherein the substrate is movable between the blocking gas flow generation unit and the supply unit along a second direction intersecting the first direction, and wherein

when the substrate is disposed between the flow of the raw material gas and the flow of the blocking gas flow, the blocking gas flow is directed to the opposite surface of the surface of the substrate facing the flow of the raw material gas, and

when the substrate is not disposed between the flow of the raw material gas and the flow of the blocking gas flow, the blocking gas flow faces the flow of the raw material.

2. The vapor deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a chamber to accommodate the substrate, the supply unit, and the blocking gas flow generation unit therein.

3. The vapor deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the blocking gas contains an inert gas.

4. The vapor deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the blocking gas flow generation unit injects towards the supply unit the blocking gas that contains an inert gas when the substrate is not located in a region corresponding to the supply unit.

5. The vapor deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the blocking gas flow generation unit includes a plurality of slits to inject the blocking gas.

6. The vapor deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate is placed on a stage and the driving unit is connected to the stage to move the stage.

7. The vapor deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving unit includes a first supporting member, a second supporting member, and a separation space that is defined as a space between the first supporting member and the second supporting member.

8. The vapor deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first supporting member and the second supporting member are disposed to reciprocally move along the guide rails.

9. The vapor deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the blocking gas flow generation unit is disposed to correspond to the separation space while the driving unit is moving.

10. The vapor deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supply unit injects the raw material gas towards ground.

11. The vapor deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supply unit includes a first injection unit that injects a first raw material gas, a second injection unit that injects a second raw material gas, and an exhaust unit.

12. The vapor deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first injection unit injects the first raw material gas in a radical type form to the substrate by generating plasma at a same time as when the first raw material gas is injected.