Patterned thin-film deposition using collimating heated masked assembly

• US 20050183670A1
• Filed: 05/03/2005
• Published: 08/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daniel Harrison Grantham, Faquir C. Jain, Fotios Papadimitrakopoulos, Thomas Samuel Phely-Bobin
• Original Assignee: Daniel Harrison Grantham, Faquir C. Jain, Fotios Papadimitrakopoulos, Thomas Samuel Phely-Bobin
• Inventors: Papadimitrakopoulos, Fotios, Jain, Faquir C., Phely-Bobin, Thomas Samuel, Grantham, Daniel Harrison
• Granted Patent: US 7,115,168 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/726
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/044 using masks to redistribute rather than totally prevent coating, e.g. producing thickness gradient
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/22 characterised by the process of coating
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/164 using vacuum deposition

Abstract

Scanning localized evaporation and deposition of an evaporant on a substrate utilizes a mask assembly comprised of a series of mask elements with openings thereon and spaced apart in a stack. The openings are aligned so as to direct the evaporant therethrough onto the substrate. The mask elements are heated and the stack may include a movable shutter element to block openings in adjacent mask elements. The evaporant streams are usually vertical but some may be oblique to the substrate, and they may be of different materials.

Claims

1. A scanning localized evaporation apparatus comprising:

(a) a base for supporting a substrate;

(b) a mask assembly spaced above said base and comprising

(c) an evaporant source spaced above said mask assembly;

(d) means for heating said mask assembly; and

(e) means for heating said evaporant source to evaporate the material into a stream which passes through said aligned openings of said mask assembly to deposit on the substrate.

2. The scanning localized evaporation apparatus of claim 1, where the mask elements are electrically heated.

3. The scanning localized evaporation apparatus of claim 1 wherein the individual mask elements are comprised of electrically resistive materials including and the spacers are of insulators.

4. The scanning localized evaporation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heating between said individual shadow mask elements is controlled across said mask assembly to obtain a desired temperature profile.

5. The scanning localized evaporation apparatus of claim 1, wherein there is included an actuator for movement of said shutter.

6. The scanning localized evaporation apparatus of claim 1, wherein said mask assembly includes a moveable mask element disposed between additional mask elements, said movable mask element being translatable to block the openings in the adjacent mark element.

7. The scanning localized evaporation apparatus of claim 1, wherein said base for supporting said substrate is mounted on a transport mechanism for moving and indexing said substrate.

8. The scanning localized evaporation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the said evaporation source and said heated mask assembly are mounted on a second transport mechanism for moving and indexing said evaporation source and said heated mask assembly.

9. The scanning localized evaporation apparatus of claim 7, wherein the said evaporation source and said heated mask assembly are mounted on a second transport mechanism for moving and indexing said evaporation source and said heated mask assembly.