THIN FILM DEPOSITION APPARATUS AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING ORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING DISPLAY APPARATUS BY USING THE SAME

• US 20160006001A1
• Filed: 12/29/2014
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lee, Suhwan, Kim, Eunho, Kim, Muhyun
• Granted Patent: US 9,644,272 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/042 using masks
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/56 Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating; Arrangements for maintaining the vacuum, e.g. vacuum locks
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/545 for coating elongated substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/166 using selective deposition, e.g. using a mask

Abstract

Disclosed is a thin film deposition apparatus and a method of manufacturing an organic light-emitting display apparatus by using the thin film deposition apparatus. The thin film deposition apparatus and the method of manufacturing the organic light-emitting display apparatus using the thin film deposition apparatus reduce manufacturing time and cost.

Claims

1. A thin film deposition apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate, the thin film deposition apparatus comprising:

a deposition source configured to contain a deposition material;

a deposition source nozzle unit disposed at one side of the deposition source and comprising a plurality of deposition source nozzles; and

a mask disposed to face the deposition source, and comprising a plurality of patterning slits through which the deposition material passes to be deposited onto a substrate to form a plurality of sub-pixels,

wherein the plurality of patterning slits comprise a first patterning slit through which the deposition material passes for forming a first one of the plurality of sub-pixels, a second patterning slit through which the deposition material passes for forming a second one of the plurality of sub-pixels, and a third patterning slit through which the deposition material passes for forming a third one of the plurality of sub-pixels, and

wherein the first patterning slit has a first length extending along the moving direction, and the second patterning slit has a second length extending along the moving direction and substantially different from the first length.

2. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mask comprises a single sheet comprising the first patterning slit, the second patterning slit, and the third patterning slit.

3. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mask comprises a first sheet comprising a plurality of uniform slits having a substantially same length and a second sheet comprising a hole having a contour, the second sheet overlapping the first sheet and configured to block a portion of each of the uniform slits such that the first sheet and the second sheet collectively form the first, second and third patterning slits.

4. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first sub-pixel comprises an intermediate layer comprising an organic emission layer configured to emit red light, the second sub-pixel comprises an intermediate layer comprising an organic emission layer configured to emit green light, and the third sub-pixel comprises an intermediate layer comprising an organic emission layer configured to emit blue light.

5. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first length is greater than the second length.

6. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 4, wherein the third patterning slit has a third length extending along the moving direction, wherein the second length is greater than the third length.

7. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of patterning slits comprises an additional first patterning slit spaced apart from the first patterning slit, wherein the first patterning slit is located closer to a center of the mask than the additional first patterning slit which is longer than the first patterning slit.

8. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of patterning slits comprises an additional second patterning slit spaced apart from the second patterning slit, wherein the second patterning slit is located closer to a center of the mask than the additional second patterning slit which is longer than the second patterning slit.

9. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of patterning slits comprises an additional third patterning slit spaced apart from the third patterning slit, wherein the third patterning slit is located closer to a center of the mask than the additional third patterning slit which is longer than the third patterning slit.

10. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one end of each of the first patterning slit, the second patterning slit, and the third patterning slit is formed in a circular arc or cosine curve shape.

11. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein an amount of the deposition material to be deposited on the substrate is controlled according to the length of each of the first through third patterning slits.

12. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 3, wherein the second sheet comprises a first shielding unit configured to shield at least a part of a first one of the uniform slits.

13. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 3, wherein the second sheet comprises a second shielding unit configured to shield at least a part of a second one of the uniform slits.

14. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 3, wherein the second sheet comprises a third shielding unit configured to shield at least a part of a third one of the uniform slits.

15. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the thin film deposition apparatus or the substrate moves relative to the other.

16. A method of manufacturing an organic light-emitting display device, the method comprising:

providing a thin film deposition apparatus;

positioning a substrate such that the substrate is spaced apart from the thin film deposition apparatus; and

depositing a deposition material onto the substrate by discharging the deposition material from the thin film deposition apparatus onto the substrate while moving one of the thin film deposition apparatus or the substrate relative to the other along a moving direction,

wherein the depositing of the deposition material discharged from the thin film deposition apparatus onto the substrate comprises;

depositing the deposition material through a plurality of patterning slits onto the substrate to form a plurality of sub-pixels, each of which corresponds to one of the plurality of patterning slits,

wherein the plurality of patterning slits comprise a first patterning slit through which the deposition material passes for forming a first one of the plurality of sub-pixels, a second patterning slit through which the deposition material passes for forming a second one of the plurality of sub-pixels, and a third patterning slit through which the deposition material passes for forming a third one of the plurality of sub-pixels, and

wherein the first patterning slit has a first length extending along the moving direction, and the second patterning slit has a second length extending along the moving direction and substantially different from the first length.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first sub-pixel comprises an intermediate layer comprising an organic emission layer that is configured to emit red light, the second sub-pixel comprises an intermediate layer comprising an organic emission layer that is configured to emit green light, and the third sub-pixel comprises an intermediate layer comprising an organic emission layer that is configured to emit blue light.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the third patterning slit has a third length extending along the moving direction, wherein the first length is greater than the second length which is greater than the third length.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of patterning slits comprises an additional first patterning slit for forming another first subpixel, an additional second patterning slit for forming another second subpixel, and an additional third patterning slit for forming another third subpixel,

wherein the first, second and third patterning slits are located closer to a center of a patterning slit sheet comprising the plurality of patterning slits than the additional first, second and third patterning slits, respectively, and the first, second and third patterning slits are shorter than the additional first, second and third patterning slits, respectively.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein an amount of the deposition materials deposited on the substrate is controlled according to the length of each of the first through third patterning slits.